On Monday, David Haye was facing a punishment for threatening to hospitalise Tony Bellew.
On Saturday, he came within a whisker of getting the shout to be Bellew’s best man for his upcoming wedding ceremony.
A war of words more vitriolic than that between Bellew and Haye hadn’t been seen for quite some time in the fight game but all the trash talk ended the instant the final bell rang in London’s O2 Arena.
🎶You gotta get that Hearn off your shoulder🎶 https://t.co/IywGpBLhDP
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) March 5, 2017
As a towel came sailing to the canvas from Haye’s corner, Bellew knew that victory was his.
An unfortunate injury to Haye in the sixth round reduced him to a one-legged fighter for the remainder and although he admirably gutted it out until the 11th, it was always a big ask.
Immediately following the bout, Bellew rushed to embrace his foe and the hug was rightly praised online as every fight fan likes to see beef squashed and differences settled for good, left in the ring forever more.
But several viewers felt that the love-in between Bellew and Haye, who supposedly despised each other as recently as yesterday, went on for a bit too long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwWkpM-4SGs
The men hugged and showered one another with praise throughout a lengthy interview with Sky Sports.
And it prompted the exact same joke on Twitter during the lovefest.
https://twitter.com/James_Buckley/status/838171888073375744
These 2 should get a room and finish each other off!! #HayeBellew
— Ben Adams (@Badams1983) March 4, 2017
Bloody hell, get a room!#HayeBellew
— Andy Burke (@AndyBurke_) March 4, 2017
https://twitter.com/nffcwazza/status/838176006141788160
Get a room, guys. This lovefest is officially embarrassing #HayeBellew
— Colin NOT Collins 🇳🇬🇺🇸 (@ColinUdoh) March 4, 2017
https://twitter.com/W2_Ell/status/838173509973061632
Are these 2 fighters about get it on sexually? Get a room!! Embarrassing after all the sh#t talk the past few weeks… #HayeBellew
— John Kelly (@johnkellyGAA) March 4, 2017
https://twitter.com/TomRufc99/status/838172832647561217
https://twitter.com/laurenanya/status/838172385916436480
This is turning into a soppy love story now. Ruining the possible rematch with all this lovey-dovey respect stuff. Get a room. #HayeBellew
— âš’ Jamie Bennett âš’ (@jamiebennett92) March 4, 2017
The most embarrassing bit about this fight has been this post match chat get a room lads! #HayeBellew
— World Cup Legends (@worldcuplegends) March 4, 2017