In case you hadn’t heard, Bellew vs. Haye II will no longer take place next month.
The grudge rematch between the British rivals has been postponed due to an injury picked up by David Haye in training.
Originally scheduled to do battle for a second time at London’s O2 Arena on December 17, the fight will now be rescheduled for a date in early 2018, according to a statement from Matchroom Boxing.
Haye has since come out and revealed how he sustained the injury to his biceps which forced him out of the contest.
“I am devastated to announce my much-anticipated rematch against Tony Bellew has been postponed until March 24 or May 5, subject to scheduling,” said Haye. “Despite the recent injury rumours, I was in perfect condition with an incredibly strong training camp, currently weighing lighter than I have for more than five years, I couldn’t wait to get back in the ring. I was ready to rewrite the ending of the Haye Bellew saga.
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) November 20, 2017
“Unfortunately, after a freak accident during a stair conditioning session, which I’ve done with no incident hundreds of times, I lost my footing, slipped, so instinctively grabbed the bannister to stop myself toppling down the stairwell, in doing so I somehow managed to damage my bicep in the process. This afternoon I underwent a procedure to repair it, this was pretty straightforward and my doctor and physiotherapist have no doubt that not only will I make a full recovery but will be able to be back in the gym to start my arm rehabilitation in two weeks.
“I would like to apologise to Tony, his family and his training team, as well as all our fans who have been left disappointed. I’ve been solely focussed on this fight and it’s extremely frustrating that I couldn’t finish 2017 with just my ring performance doing the talking. I look forward to getting back to training and into the ring in early 2018 with excitement and determination.”
The first meeting of the English heavyweights went Bellew’s way, as he stopped Haye in the 11th round back in March.
But ‘The Hayemaker’ argued that there was a lack of closure in the rivalry due to the fact that he’d ruptured his Achilles at the midway point of the bout so a rematch was made to finally put the feud to bed.
Unfortunately, we’ll just have to wait a little longer to see it.
