In less than two weeks, on 5 May, in London, Tony Bellew and David Haye will go head-to-head for the second time.
The first fight between the two was a titanic tussle that saw Bellew declared the winner after a bad Achilles injury forced David Haye to retire.
Ahead of the first fight, both boxers exchanged verbal tirades that overstepped the mark, thankfully, this time around, there has been a far more professional approach to what could be a decent heavyweight fight.
However, speaking to the media, Tony Bellew is more confident than ever that he’ll, again, have the upper hand when the duo meet for a second time, with the Everton supporting fighter from Liverpool remarking,
“I’ll beat David Haye no matter what day of the year it is.
“I’m faster than anyone he’s ever faced, I’m someone who can dictate, I’m someone who can make him miss, I’m someone who’s got enough pop in his punch to make him think twice about engaging.
“I’m not saying I’m better than any fighter he’s faced because he’s faced much better fighters than me – Wladimir Klitschko is far better than me – but he can’t do the things that I can do.”
All confident stuff from the winner of the first encounter.
But Bellew had more to say, further adding,
“I’ve got a good boxing brain and I can adapt and adjust to any situation.
“If I use my brain and I make the right adjustments at the right times I’ll have rid of David Haye before the eighth round.
“Quite simply its styles make fights. My style is just wrong for David Haye and he should have stayed well clear of me.”
But has Bellew judged this correctly?
Haye knows this is his last chance, he knows that a defeat will, most probably, end his boxing career.
On the basis of the above, I’m expecting Haye to be a different fighter this time around, a fighter that will box Bellew, keep him at range and then look out for the chance to detonate one of his big punches.
It has the prospect of being an enthralling encounter, it’s just a shame it is a week on Saturday and not this Saturday.
