Heavyweight champ Haye set to announce retirement

Former WBA heavyweight champion David Haye is set to announce his retirement after informing the British Boxing Board of Control he intends to quit the sport, according to reports here on Tuesday. Haye, who celebrates his 31st birthday on Thursday, had always said he would not fight past the age of 30, but many had expected him to delay his retirement for one more big fight, possibly against Ukraine's Vitali Klitschko, who holds the WBC title. Board secretary Robert Smith told The Sun: "I received an email on Monday advising me Haye would not be carrying on. "The board will discuss it on Wednesday but there is no way we could go against his wish not to renew his boxing licence. Without it, he can't fight." The Londoner lost his WBA belt to Klitschko's brother Wladimir by an unanimous points decision in Hamburg, Germany in July. The contest was a heavyweight unification fight for the WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts and the three judges scored 117-109, 118-108 and 116-110 all in Klitschko's favour. Haye, who has lost only twice in 27 professional bouts, first won the WBA belt by beating Russian Nikolay Valuev on points in Germany in November 2009. He defended his title by stopping American John Ruiz the following April, and again against Britain's Audley Harrison with a third-round stoppage the following November.