David Haye has come out in defence of his trainer, Shane McGuigan, stating that he respects his opinion after choosing to concede the fight against Tony Bellew at the O2 last weekend.

Haye went into the clash as the clear favourite but a debilitating Achilles injury in the sixth round left him at a massive disadvantage, as he valiantly fought on for another five rounds on the equivalent of one leg.

After giving his fighter as long as he could, McGuigan eventually decided that he had seen enough, throwing in the towel in the 11th round and handing Bellew a historic win.

"If Shane threw the towel in, he saw something. Maybe he wanted to save me for another day. I trust his opinion, I back him," Haye said.

"I wish the towel didn't come in, and I wish he didn't do it. But he did it, and I respect his opinion."

Haye and McGuigan's partnership was placed under the microscope before the fight by Bellew and his team who repeatedly called into question the strength of the relationship between the two.

That relationship may have come under even more strain in the aftermath of Saturday night's defeat, but, amidst the disappointment, both parties seem to understand that what McGuigan did was for the best.

There is no doubt that this defeat will have hurt and many people thought that this may be the last we see of David Haye when a flurry of retirement rumours surfaced after the bout. However, he has since vowed to make a comeback to the sport, hinting at his desire for a rematch with Bellew in the future. 

It looks as though we could be in for another exciting chapter in the bitter battle between these two passionate British boxers.