Tony Bellew has revealed what he told David Haye before their fight ended on Saturday night.
The pair were involved in a dramatic heavyweight bout at London’s O2 Arena. Bellew, in his first fight at heavyweight, won thanks to an 11th round stoppage over the former WBA world champion.
Bellew withstood Haye’s power and speed early in the fight, and managed to defy the odds as many expected the Liverpudlian to be knocked out within the first three rounds.
The fight turned in the sixth round, when Haye suffered an injury to his Achilles. The 36-year-old, despite losing mobility and being in agony, somehow fought on until Bellew ended the bout in the 11th round.
Bellew wasn't in the mood for a hug from Hearn https://t.co/LACxYgQdU1
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) March 5, 2017
Haye was criticised in 2011 for blaming his loss to Wladimir Klitschko to a toe injury, but it was difficult not to be impressed by his willingness to fight on after suffering such a debilitating injury.
Bellew praised Haye’s fighting spirit following the bout, and claimed that he was worried about his opponent’s safety. He told reporters that he urged Haye to quit just before the fight ended.
David Haye vs Tony Bellew #HayeBellew Knocked out of the Ring and in goes the Towel! pic.twitter.com/4wzerBGhPe
— Fancy Combat (@FancyCombat) March 4, 2017
“Just before the stoppage I looked at David and said ‘stop now’,” Bellew said.
“He shook his head. He went beyond the call of duty.
“I looked at Shane McGuigan (Haye’s trainer) and said ‘stop it’. I was worried as he couldn’t box.”
Bellew said that he could sense Haye was tiring in the fourth and fifth rounds, and that he knew from the ninth round that he was in complete control of the fight.
The 34-year-old also admitted his admiration for his opponent.
“In rounds four and five he was tired but he was blocking, when we got to nine, I felt myself on top of him and I could feel him panicking.
“I said, ‘stop, stop’ and he said ‘no’. He gets a lot of admiration from me from a sportsman’s perspective.”
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