Former heavyweight and cruiserweight champion David Haye believes that Dillian Whyte will not be a box office and pay-per-view success unless he sheds his ‘bad man from Brixton’ image.

‘The Hayemaker’ has stated that should Whyte clean up his act, he has every chance to land his dream re-match with Anthony Joshua.

‘The Body Snatcher’ faces New Zealand-born Joseph Parker on Saturday evening at London’s O2 Arena and will need to be at his very best should he wish to overcome the Kiwi former champion.

Haye believes Whyte has already begun the process of turning his life around outside of the ring, and has learned vital lessons from previous misdemeanours.

“The penny has finally dropped,” Haye told The Sun.

“The bad man from Brixton does not sell pay-per-view buys or sell out the O2 arena.

“He needs to tap into a different market now, he needs to showcase his boxing ability now, rather than his rough-house tactics.

“There is a time for all that and there is a time for being a professional.

“There were times around that Joshua fight when he could have done with being more professional but he has learned that lesson.”

Whyte defeated AJ as an amateur back in 2009 but lost the 2015 re-match at The O2 Arena via a brutal KO from Joshua in the 7th round.

The Body Snatcher, however, put in a strong performance and rocked AJ several times during the bout with his undeniable power and strong chin on show for all to see.

Since that pro loss, the Jamaica-born heavyweight has taken a more scientific approach to his training with regular visits to the sports laboratories at Loughborough University.

Recently-retired Haye, 37, added: “If they step in the ring again you will see a much-improved Dillian Whyte and his chances of winning will have been greatly enhanced.

“I feel he is a far superior fighter now than he was going into that AJ fight.”

Watford-born superstar Joshua goes head-to-head against Alexander Povetkin at Wembley on September 22.

Wembley also awaits Joshua on April 13 with his opponent yet to be confirmed, as negotiations continue with WBC champion Deontay Wilder.

Haye concluded: “You can guarantee that making a fight between Dillian Whyte and AJ will be a lot easier and a lot less political than getting the Wilder fight.

“If Dillian beats Joseph Parker then that solidifies him as a challenger for one of Joshua’s belts.”