Irish heavyweight Tyson Fury has slammed David Haye after the British fighter pulled out of their sell-out clash in Manchester this Saturday night.

Haye sustained a cut in training on Friday and immediately withdrew, prompting Fury’s camp to say the pair will never meet in the ring.

“There only would have been one winner and that was me. An army couldn’t have stopped me on Saturday night because I’d prepared mentally, physically, everything,” Fury said.

“I couldn’t have done any more in training. I’m in the shape of my life, I just couldn’t wait to show everyone what I was going to do and had up my sleeve.

“There’s no excuses ever out of me. You never hear me say excuses. If I had two broken hands I would still go in there and fight on Saturday night.”

In other boxing news, John Joe Nevin has been left out of the Ireland squad for the upcoming world championships after reports he is poised to go professional. Olympians Paddy Barnes, Michael Conlan and Adam Nolan will lead the Irish challenge.