Here we go again.
David Haye and Tony Bellew are set to step into the ring again on December 17, in a rematch of their bout from last March. Bellew scored a dramatic upset victory over Haye at the O2 Arena in London, stopping him in the 11th round.
The 34-year-old, fighting at heavyweight for the first time, was widely considered to be the underdog going into the bout, but managed to beat the odds by defeating Haye, who suffered an Achilles injury in the sixth round. The former heavyweight champion bravely fought on against Bellew, and has now recovered from that injury.
The pair came face-to-face on Wednesday at a press conference to promote their rematch. Neither boxer engaged in the level of trash talk that accompanied the first fight, but there were as an awkward face-off at the end of the press conference. It only lasted two minutes, but it felt like it lasted days before it was mercifully ended.
FACE OFF | @TonyBellew v @mrdavidhaye #BellewHaye2 pic.twitter.com/HWy7Wy1Ngw
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) October 4, 2017
Before all that, Haye opened the press conference by questioning his opponent’s motivation. The 36-year-old wants to take on Anthony Joshua if he finds a way past Bellew, and reclaim the heavyweight title. However, Haye said he was unsure why Bellew is returning to fight him, as he is now financially secure and unlikely to challenge for the heavyweight crown.
Haye used a lengthy analogy about his defeat in the first fight and Bellew agreeing to a rematch, comparing his opponent to a thief who returns to the scene of the crime.
“Going into the first fight, Bellew’s motivation was that he wanted to secure his family’s future, and that should be first and foremost in any athlete’s mind,” Haye said.
“People rob banks to secure their family, they could get shot in a bank, would you go back to rob that same bank again. Is your hatred so bad for the clerk behind the desk that you need to do it again? When we go toe-to-toe, is his desire to secure his family the same as his need to beat me? I want to be the best heavyweight in the world, that’s my motivation. Why is he going back into the lion’s den to do it again? Maybe it’s for the fans. Once you rob a bank, they get extra security and they might move the safe. I will not allow Bellew to hear the final bell. I’m doing everything possible to make sure that does not happen”
Okay.
However, Bellew rejected the analogy, and predicted that their rematch would have the same outcome.
“Robbing a bank? He must have run out of nicknames or insults for me,” he said.
“I didn’t rob a bank, I punched you senseless. I’m just going to do the same again. December 17, I will turn up and I’ll win again. I know in my heart, deep down, he still doesn’t rate me. He still thinks he’s going to blast me out and walk right through me. David Haye fell apart, because I made him fall apart. If anything this fight isn’t going to last as long as it did last time.”
The Liverpudlian said he’s motivated “to get home safely” and that he enjoys fighting.
“Believe it or not, I actually enjoy fighting. I admit I have a screw loose, but I actually enjoy a fight,” Bellew said.
“Fight night, I love it. I love punching you in the face. I love being punched in the face. I don’t know why. The motivation is still exactly the same as it was in the first fight.”
Bellew also said he made Haye “miss like a clown” and that he has spotted a weakness in his approach.
“He has a problem with stamina because of his style. When he’s on top, he’s great. But every fighter that beat him adapted mid-fight. There are formulas to beating David.”
The fight is not for another two months, so we should hear plenty more from both men before December 17.
