The undercard has today been announced for David Haye’s long-awaited comeback fight against Australia’s top 10 WBA ranked Mark De Mori on Saturday January 16, 2016 at The O2 in London.
Topping the Haye Day undercard is De Mori’s compatriot, Billy ‘The Kid’ Dib (39-4, 23 KOs) who takes on England’s tough contender Jamie Speight in a super featherweight contest scheduled for ten rounds. A former two-weight world champion, Dib, who was previously promoted by rap sensation 50 Cent, recently fought Takashi Miura for the WBC World super featherweight title in a thrilling contest in May.
Dib has knockout power in both hands and is a proven force at world level. The bout represents a big step-up for Speight but ‘The Genius’ will see it as a springboard for his career as he looks to progress beyond domestic level.
Also fighting on the bill is Liverpool’s former British Champion Tony “Warrior” Dodson (31-8-1, 15 KOs). The dangerous Dodson has shared the ring with the likes of Carl Froch and Paul Smith, and will face the crafty workhorse Richard ‘The Lionheart’ Horton in a light-heavyweight bout scheduled for eight rounds. Dodson returns to the ring after his first round demolition of Romans Oleinikovs in May, but ‘The Warrior’ will be expecting a much tougher fight against Essex-based Horton who is determined to get back to winning ways.
Luton’s big-punching unbeaten prospect, Kay Prospere, (6-0, 4 KOs) will make his first arena appearance against Derbyshire’s underdog Lee Connelly in a super lightweight battle. Four of Prospere’s six opponents so far have been dispatched inside two rounds and ‘Special K’ will be looking to repeat his success against Connelly, who himself is coming off a shock victory against hot prospect Garvey Kelly in his last fight.
Also taking to the ring at Haye Day will be power punching cruiserweight Wadi Camacho (15-5, 5 KOs), who faces veteran campaigner Jindrich Velecky, who will look to test Camacho ahead of a potential Southern Area title fight in February. That follows another battle of Brits as Kent’s fiery Josh Kennedy (4-0, 4 KOs) takes on Hull’s Luke Fash in a super bantamweight bout, and unbeaten cruiserweight Jose Lopes (5-0, 5 KOs), dubbed “The New David Haye” by trainer Don Charles, faces Darren Snow, who is coming off a victory over unbeaten Ryan Crawford in the first event of the evening.
It is a packed undercard before the main event when Haye fights for the first time since destroying Dereck Chisora in 5 electrifying rounds at Upton Park three and a half years ago. The Hayemaker takes on the dangerous De Mori, a top 10 WBA ranked heavyweight, who boasts a record of 31 wins (26 KOs) with only 1 defeat, which came 11 years ago in his first year as a professional. De Mori is coming off a first round knock-out in October and is looking to upset the apple cart with a victory over Haye.
Commenting on the Haye Day undercard, David Haye, said: “I’m delighted that some of the hottest prospects in British boxing will be fighting with me on January 16 at The O2. Haye Day promises to be an amazing event – I can’t wait to get back in the ring and demolish Mark De Mori. Fight fans are in for a treat with a fantastic undercard beforehand.
“I’m grateful to Goodwin Promotions for their help in securing an undercard full of knockout specialists and future champions. I’m delighted to be able to give many of them their first experience of a big time boxing event. It’s also great to have Billy ‘The Kid’ Dib back in the ring and it will help stoke-up the England versus Australia rivalry around the event even more.”
Haye has joined forces with entertainment, media and marketing company Salter Brothers Entertainment, with support from The O2. They have created the ‘Haye Day’ event with the aim of bringing the love and excitement of big-time boxing to the masses. Salter Brothers Entertainment wants to make the sport of boxing accessible to a wider audience, and aims to galvanise the UK and beyond by delivering Saturday night live events that are the hottest ticket in town.
Tickets for Haye Day are on sale now and can be purchased via axs.com or via hayemaker.com.
Undercard in Full*
| Fights | Weight | Scheduled Rounds | ||
| David Haye
26 (24) – 2 (1) – 0 |
vs | Mark De Mori
30 (26) – 1 (1) – 2 |
Heavyweight | 12 x 3 |
| Billy Dib
39 (23) – 4 (2) – 0 |
vs | Jamie Speight
13 (1) – 8 (3) – 0 |
Super Featherweight | 10 x 3 |
| Tony Dodson
31 (15) – 8 (6) – 1 |
vs | Richard Horton
9 (1) – 5 (4) – 0 |
Light Heavyweight | 8 x 3 |
| Kay Prospere
6 (4) – 0 – 0 |
vs | Lee Connelly
4 (0) – 16 (2) – 1 |
Super Lightweight | 6 x 3 |
| Wadi Camacho
13 (8) – 5 (3) – 0 |
vs | Jindrich Velecky
19 (18) – 39 (8) – 0 |
Cruiserweight | 6 x 3 |
| Josh Kennedy
4 (4) – 0 – 0 |
vs | Luke Fash
0 – 2 (1) – 0 |
Super Bantamweight | 4 x 3 |
| Jose Lopes
5 (2) – 0 – 0 |
vs | Darren Snow
1 (0) – 1 (0) – 1 |
Cruiserweight | 4 x 3 |
*Please note this is subject to change.