London, Nov.16 (ANI): World Heavyweight Boxing champion David Haye has revealed the mindset that inspired him to victory over Russian giant Nikolai Valuev eight days ago.

“At the end of the 11th round I had a look at the crowd and when I sat down I knew I was just three minutes away from fulfilling a childhood dream. I kept thinking about all the years in the gym, all the people that I had shared a ring with and all the fights during my career. I knew that I had to stay calm in the last round and not lose my head and certainly not go looking for glory,” Haye’s told The Sunday Mirror.

“When I stood up to go into that last round I was loving every single second of it and I remember looking over at him [Valuev] and thinking he didn’t fancy it any more. It was what I had always wanted - the last round in a heavyweight title fight and I was in front and the crowd was going crazy. I’ve been boxing a long, long time. There have been a lot of highs and a lot of lows - that was all going through my head in that last round,” he added.

He recalls his trainer and business partner Adam Booth screaming at him to stay focused and not do anything silly.

I never took my eyes off him [Valuev] and I knew the dream was coming true - the dream I’d had for years and years. I never stopped having that dream, even when I lost fights and even when injury put me out of fights. When he wobbled at the end of the last round it was the greatest feeling in the world - I was about to get my hands on the heavyweight championship of the world and I had done it my way,” Haye’s said.

Haye’s says he needed a brilliant defensive display to negate Valuev’s 11in height and 100lb weight advantage.

He said he plans to defend his title at the O2 Arena, which is just a few miles away from where he grew up.

Haye is currently in Las Vegas with fighter-turned-promoter Oscar De La Hoya discussing terms in the fight capital of the world. (ANI)