FORMER boxing champion David Haye will spend the next year learning poker with the aim of winning the worldโs largest tournament outside of Las Vegas once his apprenticeship is complete.
Haye admits he does not know any rules but is being guided by three of the UKโs top professional players in Jeff Kimber, Katie Swift and Joe Beevers and is to work with actors, mathematicians and psychologists to โforge his own styleโ.
The 37-year-old former world heavyweight and unified cruiserweight champion retired from boxing in June after losing to Tony Bellew for the second time a month earlier.
โผ๏ธBREAKING NEWSโผ๏ธIโm thrilled to be part of @mrdavidhaye new journey,learning poker for the next year & taking on Goliath 2019โ ๏ธโฅ๏ธ โฆ๏ธโฃ๏ธ #DavidvsGoliath19 #TeamGrosvenor #SponsoredPro #Challenge #Goliath18 #Goliath19 #Poker @GrosvenorPoker @jeffkimberpoker @joebeevers pic.twitter.com/1nRTTbvXS1
โ Katie Swift (@SwiftlyNow) August 3, 2018
Outlining his plans for the next 12 months at a press conference at the Ricoh Arena in Coventry, Haye insists he is determined not to be โembarrassedโ at the 2019 Goliath event.
โI come from the boxing realm and will be going into the poker realm,โ Haye said.
โItโs about accepting the fact that Iโll be pretty poor, that every single person Iโm playing with is better than I am.
โIn sport if youโre sometimes bigger and stronger than other people, thatโs enough to get you by. But I canโt use my physicality to fast track me.
โItโs not about how quick I am or my reflexes. Itโs about learning the bread and butter of poker correctly from the very beginning.
โMy biggest challenge is facing that, opening my arms and saying โhelp me, give me as much knowledge as you canโ. I canโt rush.
โRight now I donโt know the rules of poker and that means I can learn the foundations from the best and move forward quickly. Iโm such a novice so I have to focus on the fundamentals.
โI donโt want to embarrass myself in a yearโs time. Thatโs not why Iโm here. I want to sit down with confidence and will enter the tournament to win.
โEveryone is thinking I donโt have a chance. OK, keep thinking that, but Iโve always found a way to overcome stuff. I will use every fibre of my being to give credibility to what Iโm doing.โ
โKalukiโ is the only card game Haye has previously played but he is willing to give โas much as it takesโ to make his poker career a success and suspects his playing approach will mimic his boxing style.
โIโm an aggressive counter-punching boxer, so not all out aggressive. Iโm strategic, I wait for my spots. Nothing happens for a while and then bang, I throw a shot,โ he said.
โI think Iโll be pretty guarded but when I see an opportunity or an opening, Iโm going at it. Iโm going to knock you out, take your hand.
โI thrive under pressure, I rise to pressure. Going into something cold has got the juices flowing. Iโm champing at the bit for this new challenge.โ