UK-based bookmaker denies reported ‘Haye scam’

LONDON - Britain’s leading bookmaker, Betfred, has denied suggestions that WBA world heavyweight champion David Haye had engineered a betting coup during his knockout win over 2000 Sydney Olympics gold medallist Audley Harrison.

Haye retained his crown after the ‘Battle of Britain’ at Manchester’s MEN Arena in November.

However, conspiracy theorists were out in force after Haye confidently predicted that he would stop Harrison in the third round and kept his word.

“From the moment the Haye-Harrison fight was announced, boxing experts were saying it was a mismatch and forecast it wouldn’t last three rounds. The build-up was given mass coverage in the media so we knew business was going to be brisk,” the Sun quoted Betfred spokesman Mark Pearson, as saying.

“Not surprisingly, most people put a bet on the fight finishing any time between the first and third rounds. As Haye had repeatedly predicted he would finish off Harrison in the third, that was obviously the most popular choice.”

“We lost 200,000 pounds on that round and our biggest winner was a regular punter who collected 20,000 pounds. There was nothing unusual in the betting patterns leading up to the opening bell,” he added.

The spokesman further insisted that his organization would have reported any “dodgy” incident.

“If we felt there was something dodgy going on, we would have informed the British Boxing Board of Control immediately about our suspicions,” Pearson said.

“It is laughable to talk about a betting scam over that fight or any other fight,” he added. (ANI)