David Haye to take on unknown Kosovan Arnold Gjergjaj

Haye will donate 10 per cent of ticket sales from fight at The 02 to Nick Blackwell

David Haye will fight Arnold Gjergjaj at The 02. Photograph: PA
David Haye will fight Arnold Gjergjaj at The 02. Photograph: PA

David Haye will face unknown Kosovan Arnold Gjergjaj in the second fight of his comeback at The O2 on May 21st.

Gjergjaj has won all 29 of his contests but only one of those have been staged outside Switzerland, where the 31-year-old heavyweight is a resident.

Haye returned to the ring in January after a three-and-a-half-year absence that was partly the result of a career-threatening shoulder injury by recording a first-round stoppage of Mark de Mori.

“It feels nice to be back again and getting in the ring so soon. I said from the start I want to fight regularly and get some momentum back in my career,” Haye said.

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“My comeback fight was a big success in my eyes and next up I wanted an opponent who is bigger than me, undefeated and is fast and can move.

“The top guys in the division are all taller than me and so I wanted an opponent who is taller than me, so that I’m punching upwards and I’ve got that in Gjergjaj.”

Haye revealed that 10 per cent of ticket sales from his fight against Gjergjaj - which is expected to be televised on a freeview platform — will be donated to Nick Blackwell.

Blackwell, 25, has been in an induced coma since collapsing at the end of Saturday's British middleweight title defeat by Chris Eubank Jr.

“Nick is only in that situation because he’s so tough and is one of those boxers who goes out there and puts it on the line,” Haye said.