David Haye to undergo surgery immediately after shock defeat by Tony Bellew on suspected ruptured Achilles

Haye suffered a surprise loss to Bellew after injuring his ankle

David Haye is to have immediate surgery on a ruptured knee igament (Getty Images)

David Haye is to undergo immediate surgery on the Achilles injury he suffered during the shock defeat by Tony Bellew on Saturday night, with fears that the former heavyweight world champion ruptured the tendon in his right ankle.

36-year-old Haye was controlling the fight when he appeared to slip in the sixth round, and he immediately glanced down at his right foot before limping away from Bellew, who sensed an opportunity to attack.

Haye valiantly fought on until the 11th round on what was essentially one leg, but Bellew’s superiority eventually shone through and after he sent Haye through the ropes with a left hook, Haye’s trainer, Shane McGuigan, threw in the towel.

Initial fears were that Haye had completely ruptured his Achilles tendon, and it was soon announced that he would head straight to hospital to have surgery on the injury.

If fears of a rupture prove too, Haye could face a recovery period of nine months, ruling him out of the rest of the year.

Haye flew to Munich on Wednesday to meet with doctor Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt, the renowned German doctor who operated on Haye when he damaged his shoulder cuff earlier in his career

He played down the importance of flying to Germany for the meeting, but despite claiming that it was all part of the mind games that are in play in the lead up to any professional boxing match, it does raise questions about his fitness heading into the bout.