Tony Bellew and David Haye are set for their rematch on December 17th, and David Haye, the master of mindgames has already been up to his old tricks, Bellew believes.
There were rumours being tweeted that Haye had aggravated his Achilles injury that he’d sustained in the first fight with Bellew. The tweet didn’t come from Haye himself, but Bellew believes Haye was behind it in an attempt to unsettle his training programme.
Bellew believes Haye is trying to bait him
Even promoter Eddie Hearn took to Twitter to deny the rumours after social media went into frenzy about the possible withdrawal of Haye. All the speculation was ignored by Bellew, however, and he insisted Haye was trying to unsettle him. The Evertonian went on to say he was fully focused on beating Haye for the second time, when they meet next month.
“I don’t pay David Haye no attention,” said Bellew. “I know why he’s doing it. He’s done it to have a little go at me. He’s trying to bait me to react and I’m just past caring really. Listen, all that matters is we get in the ring on the 17th December and I punch his face in again. I can’t see why Haye would be lining up his excuses early, because he knows he is going to retire after this fight. He’s just playing some mind games, but he’s failed.
Bellew after beating Haye earlier this year
Fighting talk from Bomber Bellew, and philosophical as ever. Always one to speak his mind, but not get involved in petty mind games, he hasn’t taken the bait that Haye has tried to dish out yet again. And Bellew insisted he isn’t the one who needs this fight, and that if Haye was to pull out then a fight against Joseph Parker would be on the cards.
"I’ve got nothing to say on the matter – if he wants to pull out, then pull out. I’ve got a lot of options on the table, so if he wants to pull out of the fight, I’ll face Joseph Parker, no problem," added Bellew.
If Haye does pull out, Joseph Parker is a likely opponent for Bellew
Either way, Bellew holds the cards and Haye knows this. The only reason Bellew has probably decided on this fight is with it being an all-British fight, there’s more interest than if he were to fight Parker. Although, don’t rule a fight with Parker out. They will probably meet next spring if Joshua decides to fight Wilder.
On the fight, Bellew actually believes Haye has shed a lot of weight in an attempt to maximize his speed for the bout. Both fighters are natural cruiserweights, although Haye is naturally heavier, and Bellew believes Haye sees him as a slow, sloppy fighter. Someone he can blast out of the ring in no time.
Expect fireworks when these two meet again on December 17th
“Haye will be at his best and he’ll be at his lightest in about five years.” Said Bellew. “He’ll be his lightest since I would say he’s moved up to heavyweight. I’m just going to go in there and do my job. I expect David to be fast, vicious, dangerous, but I will see that out, I will see through that period, and then I will take over in the fight.”
Sources:
www.365dm.com
www.bleacherreport.net
www.skysports.com
www.standard.co.uk
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