Former heavyweight titleholder David Haye suffered a cut during his final day of sparring on Friday, Sept. 19, that required six stitches to repair and which has forced the postponement of his Sept. 28 clash with unbeaten 6-foot-9 contender Tyson Fury in Manchester, England, according to a release by Hayemaker Boxing.

Haye’s cut, above his left eyebrow, occurred in Round 2 of sparring and required treatment by a plastic surgeon at St. Thomas’ hospital, according to the release. The stitches will remain in place for five to seven days.

The fighters’ representatives are working on a new date for the fight.

“Gutted isn’t even the word. Mentally, I’m on the floor at the moment,” said Haye. “I’m devastated most of all for my loyal fans, my family and my team, as well as Tyson Fury and his team. I know injuries and cuts are part and parcel of our sport, but this doesn’t change the feeling of disappointment and sadness I’m experiencing right now.”

“To everyone who has bought tickets, booked hotels, and followed this fight since it was announced, there is absolutely nothing I can do except apologize from the very bottom of my heart. Even when everything seems to be right on track, sometimes life throws you a curve ball. I will somehow have to try and make the best of this horrible situation. But, right now, I’m in bits about what has happened.”

Haye (26-2, 24 knockouts) was last in the ring for a fifth-round knockout of Dereck Chisora in July, and Fury (21-0, 15 KOs) rose from a second-round knockdown to stop Steve Cunningham in the seventh round in April.

Haye-Fury was to begin an HBO-televised tripleheader featuring former and current titleholders in three marquee divisions fighting in three different countries, switching to a defense by RING and WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson against Tavoris Cloud in Montreal, with the final matchup being former WBC middleweight titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. against Brian Vera in a super middleweight bout from Carson, Calif.

Photo by Scott Heavey-Gettyimages

Lem Satterfield can be reached at [email protected]