Haye destroys De Mori in first round of ring return
British heavyweight David Haye (27-2, 25 KOs) returned to the ring with a first round knockout of Mark de Mori (30-2-2, 26 KOs) on Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London.
In his first fight since he knocked out fellow Londoner Dereck Chisora in five rounds in 2012, Haye easily halted the overmatched Australian, who needed extensive attention from medics after being sent to the canvas with an explosive right hook followed by a series of hard shots.
Haye was landing left-hand jabs and combinations from the start. The former WBA heavyweight champion stalked and dominated his opponent until a barrage of big blows put De Mori down and out at 2:11 of the first round.
“I’m punching harder than ever,” said Haye. "De Mori is a tough guy and I felt so cool and calm in there, I don't think any heavyweight on the planet could take those punches. I want to be fighting regularly and get myself up the rankings."
Haye is hoping to land a shot at the WBC or IBF titles given WBA and WBO champion Tyson Fury has stated he has no interest in a future fight with Haye, who twice pulled out of fighting Fury, the last in February 2014 when Haye underwent shoulder surgery.
Haye could also be set for a domestic clash with 2012 Olympic gold medallist Anthony Joshua later in the year.
"Tyson Fury is pretty clear about not wanting to fight me," he added. "I said I'll work my way up the rankings, and he said he'd relinquish the belts instead of fighting me. I think a fight between me and Anthony Joshua will be way bigger (than a fight against Fury). I believe that's a fight that could be made later in the year.
"I want to unify the titles in the heavyweight division. I fell short a few years ago and I've been hampered by injury since the Dereck Chisora fight, but I'm feeling better than I did before.
"I'm going to make a serious run at this heavyweight division. There are titles all over the place at the moment and it'll take someone like me to clean it up."