Top of the bill at the O2 Arena, in London, on Saturday night, was the re-match between Tony Bellew and David Haye.
The first bout between the two fighters had seen Bellew, surprisingly, emerge the victor with Haye being stopped late on after suffering from a badly torn Achilles tendon earlier in the fight.
The second fight between the two was to end in even more dramatic fashion, with Bellew stopping Haye in the fifth-round.
Bellew always looked the more likely to win with Haye deploying a strange fighting style whereby he seemed to be leaning forward too much and always looking for the power-shot.
The first indication that Bellew was going to get a repeat of the success of the first fight came in the third-round when Haye made two visits to the canvas courtesy of some hard shots from Bellew.
Haye looked to have reinjured his ankle in the third round and Bellew, coming forward, had Haye on the canvas again in round-five. Although Haye rose to his feet, the referee decreed that he was in no position to defend himself and stopped the fight.
The win sees Bellew extend his professional record to 30-2-1 with 20 wins coming by way of knockout whilst Haye sees his slip to 28-4 with 26 wins coming by way of knockout.
Following the fight, Bellew, amongst other things, had this to say to the Sky Sports ringside team,
“Haye goes down as a better fighter than me.
“Age does play a factor with his style. Speed and timing.”
Whereas Haye, in defeat, had this to say to the Sky Sports ringside team,
“Bellew fought a very good fight and I didn’t, simply.
“Tony was a better man, I couldn’t quite make it happen, everything happens for a reason. He’s a great champion and I enjoy the battle. Bellew’s my nemesis, we are of similar stature, that’s why we gel and make such a fun fight.”
Ahead of the fight, Haye had indicated that anything other than a sensational knockout victory would see him retire from the sport, will he be a man of his word?
As for Bellew, he’s looking to fight Andre Ward, is it a fight that Eddie Hearn can put together?
disappointed in Haye, I reckon he wasn’t fit but hung on in for the purse.