Tony Bellew knew the fight was his to lose in the third round.
Opponent David Haye looked relatively comfortable in the opening couple of frames but then hit a wall or, should we say, a wall hit him in the form of some devastating shots from ‘Bomber’.
Haye was dropped on two occasions in the third round and while he got back to his feet each time, Bellew knew he had the win in the bag.
The Liverpool heavyweight might have needed another few minutes to put his rival away but he’d already advised the referee to call the bout off.
Bellew said: “In the third round, I told Howard Foster: ‘Stop it now!’ I told him to stop it.
This was the beginning of the end for David Haye vs. Tony Bellew in the third round. pic.twitter.com/NbGvMKVwGH
— Josh Katzowitz (@joshkatzowitz) May 5, 2018
“Haye bounced back to his corner and the only reason I gave him a chance in the fourth round was because he’s still so heavy-handed.
“He hits on the back of the head a lot. It wobbles you, man. It shakes your brain.”
Bellew was quite emotional after his emphatic win in the rematch and although he appeared committed to return to cruiserweight following a brief spell among the big boys, the 35-year-old never doubted his power against Haye.
“Tonight he thought he could shake me,” Bellew added. “I’m an inside fighter. I’m a dangerous, big, inside guy.
“When I sling the left hook inside, you’re going out. I don’t care who you are, you’re going out. Anyone!”
