Haye denies betting on himself to beat Harrison

Some of the gloss on David Haye's demolition of Audley Harrison on Saturday night has been lost thanks to what the boxer now claims was an off-the-cuff comment about betting he made after the fight.
 
Haye, who knocked Harrison out in the third round of the bout, subsequently claimed he had "put a lot of money" on that outcome.
 
But when reminded that it was illegal for boxers to bet on themselves, and faced with the prospect of an investigation by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC), Haye quickly retracted his comments.
 
He told Radio 5 Live: "I didn't physically go into a betting shop and say 'Here's x amount of money'. What I did say is I would knock Audley out in three rounds. If he came out earlier I would have knocked him out earlier. My prediction was the third round and I told a lot of people that."
 
Haye pointed out that he had no need to make money from gambling on the fight. His victory could earn him as much as £5m. "I don't need to earn extra money, but I told a lot of people around me. It makes the fight a little more exciting for people."
 
He went on: "It did feel like I'd bet on myself because a lot of people had put money on it, family members and what not. If it had gone into the fourth round I knew people would have lost a lot of money and I'd have felt a bit guilty."
 
Haye's explanation appears to have been accepted by the BBBC, although secretary Robin Smith said he was surprised by Haye's admission that he did not know it was against the rules for fighters to bet on when the fight would end.
 
The betting question was not the only issue facing the BBBC following Saturday's fight. So dismal was Harrison's contribution that there have been calls for the Board to withhold his purse.
 
The 39-year-old challenger, long regarded as a fraud by fight fans, landed just one punch in the eight minutes that the fight lasted, but is thought to be receiving £1m for his contribution.
 
Boxing promoter Frank Maloney told the Sun: "Harrison should be locked up for impersonating a fighter. If the Board let Harrison have his purse it is sending out totally the wrong message."
 
Smith of the BBBC admitted: "The Board have rescinded purses on many occasions when we feel a fighter has not tried. Harrison just froze. He did nothing all night. It was a let-down for the fans and the TV audience." ·