JOHNNY NELSON reckons David Haye should take heed of Evander Holyfield’s shocking ring return before committing to fighting Tyson Fury.
The boxing pundit believes Holyfield’s first-round stoppage loss to UFC ace Vitor Belfort should serve as a serious warning for the Brit.
Haye, 40, who is a former Cruiserweight world champion and WBA heavyweight title-holder, has been eagerly pursuing a clash with Fury.
And the London-born boxer, who ended his retirement of three years for an eight-round clash with Joe Fournier has been buoyed by his victory on points in the bout.
Following the victory Haye opted to goad the Gypsy King by saying, “I know his Kryptonite, I know what he can’t handle.
But Sky Boxing guru Nelson has queried the motivation behind Hayes wish to go head-to-head with the undefeated WBC top dog.
Nelson, 54, told Sky Sports: “David calling out Tyson Fury – it’s made headlines, it’s made people talk about it.
“How serious is it? I don’t know. It’s always ‘what if’ for fighters.
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“David looks in amazing condition at 40-years-old and I think a rest from the sport has probably done his body good and done his mindset good.
“He’s a very Zen person now, so he’s probably put a lot of things into perspective, in regard to his future and what he wants to achieve in boxing.
“You’ve got to look at David’s last two performances of his career and how he performed.
“The rest would have done him a world of good and that fight with Fournier was two mates having a spar, but David knows what he is capable of doing.
“I think the reality of training hard in camp for a few months could kick in, and make him realise how much he has actually bitten off.
“But maybe he’s got that impetus, that energy and that fire in his belly for a fight with Tyson Fury?
“Coming back to fight Tyson Fury, if he’s serious, it’s just for that fight. It’s not for a career.”
Haye, whose fight record includes 26 knockouts, had to pull out twice from arranged fights with Fury.
And plans all-Brit battled between Haye and the two-time heavyweight champ were eventually kiboshed after the Londoner had a shoulder op in 2013.
Nelson was sharing his thoughts days after Holyfield’s exhibition clash with ex-UFC champ Belfort on the same bill as Hayes’ bout with Fournier.
And concerns for the former four-time world heavyweight champion, 58, were compounded when he was brutally defeated by Belfort – who is 14 years younger – in a first-round demolition.
Nelson added: “We saw Evander Holyfield and we all got lost in the nostalgia of what Evander used to be capable of doing.
“Then reality kicked in, he’s a 58-year-old man who clearly has no punch resistance.
“He looked the part, but that’s about it.
“Evander made the same mistake as most ex-fighters do when you think, ‘I can do it.’
“Is David Haye at the same stage as Holyfield? I don’t believe so.
“Holyfield had been away from the sport long enough for people to forget his last few fights and remember his heyday.
“But you’ve got to be realistic with yourself and say, ‘Right, can I really do this?’
“David Haye is not making a comeback as a fighter. What he’s said is – ‘I want to fight Tyson Fury.’
“If he’s saying he wants to come back and dominate the heavyweight division, then you’d reply, ‘Come on David.’
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