WBC world cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew has confirmed talks are in place with David Haye’s camp over a potential fight.
Bellew laid down the gauntlet to Haye immediately after his victory over Ilunga ‘Junior’ Makabu, and Haye responded in kind, telling the Liverpudlian to ‘get on the list’Â to fight him.
Haye is set to take on former heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs in September, but it seems as though a meeting with Bellew could follow if the Londoner defeats ‘The Cannon’.
And Bellew told Sky Sports that talks over the potential bout have already begun.
“The two of us are speaking at the moment and we’ll see where it goes but I want to fight the ‘Haye-faker’,” the 33-year-old said.
Bellew, whose victory over Makabu extended his career record to 27-2-1 with 17 knockouts, has been critical of the quality of Haye’s opponents since the former two-weight world champion returned to the ring.
“I’d say Hayemaker but it’s ‘Haye-faker’ because he’s pulled out of that many fights over the last few years. He ran scared – absolutely petrified from Tyson Fury – not once, but twice,” he added.
Fury has already ruled out a fight with Haye after those two withdrawals, attributed to injuries to Haye’s head and foot respectively.
The 35-year-old is understood to be keen on a bout with Anthony Joshua, whose next IBF heavyweight title defence comes against Dominic Breazale on June 25. He told JOE a meeting in 2017 would be realistic.
The bout against Briggs will be Haye’s third of the year after victories over Mark de Mori and Arnold Gjergjaj, and the Bermondsey-born fighter has previously suggested he could be in shape for a fourth fight before the end of 2016.
Haye admits he would be keen to cut his weight if a fight does come to fruition, having weighed in at 227lb for his comeback victory over De Mori and 224lb for the two-round demolition of Gjergjaj.
