London, Nov 9 The new heavyweight champion David Haye has revealed that he had been into modelling for a short period, but sifted his focus to boxing to quench his thirst for "beating the hell out of people".

Before turning into a pro as a boxer in December 2002, David had appeared in a few ads for Italian fashion house Versace and has also posed for top US chain Abercrombie and Fitch.

"It was a pretty good time. I did it for a few months when I was younger. However, my thirst for beating the hell out of people soon overtook my desire to stand in front of cameras!" The Sun quoted Haye, as saying.

"I thought, 'Why would I want to earn a living posing when I could get brain damage in front of millions?' So, if I wasn't in boxing I'd have carried on. If not I'd be something in entertainment," he added.

The 29-year-old has been throwing punches since age three in his home in South London. He also took up karate at ten and joined South London's famous Fitzroy Lodge Boxing Club, and was soon winning trophies.

"They couldn't believe how much power I had. I'd always be using my dad's knees for punchbags," Haye said.

"My parents said I had the look of a boxer as soon as I arrived - I had a black eye and clenched fists and looked like I'd just done 12 rounds with Mike Tyson. I also had a good six-pack from the age of 13 and it's stayed with me - well, most of the time anyway," he added. (ANI)