How To Win: Lessons From A Champion

I was at a big family function on Christmas Eve, where I ran into my brother-in-law, who used to be a world champion boxer.

David Haye is his name. Way back when, his sister and I were married, and he is uncle to my two oldest children. I don’t know if that makes him former brother-in-law. Whatever.

I still maintain that the world doesn’t quite know what an exceptional boxer David was. His speed and power were second to none. The wins in France against Jean-Marc Mormeck to win the cruiserweight World Title, after being knocked down in the fifth, and then in Germany against the unbeaten Russian Nikolai Valuev, who at 23.4 stone and 7 feet, was the largest heavyweight in history, were two of the greatest British overseas wins ever.

In winning both cruiserweight and heavyweight world titles, he achieved something only two other boxers, Evander Holyfield before him and Oleksandr Usyk after, have managed. That tells you how good he was. Yet, he is not quite seen in the same light as those other two, largely because of injuries and losses later in his career.

I’ve known David since he was 16, and he was going to be the heavyweight champion even then. It was almost all anyone in the family talked about.

What I always most admired about him is his singularity and clarity of purpose; that and his breathtaking, fearless honesty. He hides nothing. He tells it like he sees it and then lives with the consequences. Jordan Peterson would be proud.

It’s that singularity of purpose - that winning mentality - I want to talk about today.

As a youngster, David used to spar with a fighter who was naturally more gifted but never made it through the amateur ranks. “He would rather be the guy who could have made it,” David used to say. “The guy sat in the pub 10 years from now telling everyone he could have made it. He would rather be that than take the necessary risks and make the necessary sacrifices to actually make it.”

I was always incredibly struck by that attitude.

Burn the ships: have no plan B

We all met up at David’s mum and dad’s, my old in-laws, on Christmas Eve. All our kids were there, and it was a lovely family do. David’s son, Cassius, who is 16, is turning out to be quite the tennis player. I reminded them of a story from when Cassius was seven or eight.

We were having lunch, and I said that tennis was a great sport to get good at because, unlike, say, football, if it doesn’t work out, you can always get a job as a tennis coach. You can go anywhere in the world and have a pretty nice life.

I looked to my right and saw David fuming, “What are you telling him that sh*t for? Why are you putting those kinds of doubts in his head?”

I was thinking like a risk-manager, I guess. The sports stars of old always used to get a trade first. Not so David.

His mentality reminded me of a story about Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, which I tell in my new book on gold to be published later this year. Cortés landed in Mexico in 1519. His purpose was to find gold and to conquer. He had 508 soldiers and 11 ships. On landing, he scuttled 10 of them. It meant there was no escape. His men now had to win - or die.

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Later that night, David and I back-and-forthed on texts a bit, and I told him the Cortés story. And so we come to the point of today’s missive - and it’s an appropriate one, given we are in the season of New Year's resolutions.

David sent this message back in reply, which I think is one of the most brilliant texts - about winning, clarity, singularity of purpose - I have ever received. So I publish it in full here:

Yes, I’ve heard the same story, and it’s a lesson that resonates deeply with me—not just in the abstract, but in how I’ve lived my life and shaped the mindset of my children. When Cortés sank his ships, he left his men with no option but to succeed. That’s not just a story of conquest; it’s a metaphor for the winning mindset. When there’s no retreat, no Plan B, the path becomes clear. The mind and body focus completely on achieving the one goal that matters.

That same principle was drilled into me from an early age. My dad told me I could box aged 10, but only if I was the best. There was no room for half-hearted effort or second thoughts. From the moment I said I wanted to be the heavyweight champion of the world—the pinnacle of the sport—every decision I made aligned with that goal. There was no ambiguity, no backdoor exit. Winning wasn’t just a possibility; it was the only outcome.

That’s the mindset I’ve passed on to Cassius and Kingston. He wants to be the best tennis player in the world, and he knows what that means: living full-time in Spain, training in the blazing heat on clay courts, and pushing his body and mind to the limit every single day. He understands, like I did, that greatness demands clarity and sacrifice. It’s about burning the ships—eliminating all distractions and doubts—so there’s only one way forward.

Winning isn’t an accident or a stroke of luck. It’s the result of relentless dedication and a mindset hardwired from the very start. It’s about creating an environment where success is the only option, so the journey becomes as clear as the destination. That’s how champions are made—whether in the ring, on the court, or in life.

We don’t all want to be number one. Many of us are content with what we have. But if you are serious about becoming top dog, then that text message - from someone who has been there and done it - should be put to memory.

I look at my own life, and I’m the very opposite: jack of all trades, master of none. Comedian and financial blogger. What - how does that work? I've also been: prolific voiceover artist, podcast host, TV presenter, actor, author of three books, boxing ring announcer (for Hayemaker Boxing - who says nepotism doesn’t exist?), and a million other things I can’t remember. Even within comedy, my career is disparate: comic songs, stand-up, MC, witty raconteur, lectures with funny bits. Gold or bitcoin - which is it? Why not both...

I’m occasionally asked why I am not more well known than I am. There’s your answer. I do too many things quite well instead of excelling at one.

I think it’s partly because I get interested in stuff. But it’s also a defensive thing, I’m sure. If one doesn’t work out, I’ve always got the other to fall back on.

Here is one of my resolutions for 2025: do fewer things better.

What do you think? Please post your thoughts in the comments below.

Happy new year, everyone. Let’s hope it’s a belter.

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