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Tony Bellew-David Haye is on for March 4

Fighters Network
25
Nov

Fierce British rivals David Haye and Tony Bellew will collide in a 12-round heavyweight attraction at The O2 in London on March 4.

Bellew, who is currently rated No. 3 by THE RING at cruiserweight, will make his heavyweight debut against Haye, who is rated No. 9 by THE RING in that weight class.

“The public demand for me to violently knockout Tony Bellew was simply too strong,” said Haye, who is a former cruiserweight and heavyweight titleholder. “The country is fed up of his constant yapping. Even in his home town of Liverpool, I would be stopped in the street by people begging me to spectacularly send him into retirement.

“Bellew is completely delusional if he thinks he can beat me. He still thinks he’s on the set of ‘Creed’ and there will be some kind of Rocky style happy ending. But come March 4, I will bring reality crashing down on him.



Haye continued, “I’ve earned my credentials the hard way inside the ring, not on film sets. There will be no second takes, no stunt men taking the blows and no flashing lights on the red carpet, the only lights Bellew will see are those of the spot lights shining down on him when he wakes up from his nap on the canvas.”

Bellew won the vacant WBC cruiserweight title in May when he climbed off the canvas to stop the highly dangerous Ilunga Makabu in three rounds. He had been clamoring for a fight with Haye ever since.

“I’ve backed him into a corner, left him nowhere to go, and now I have what I want,” said Bellew. “I’m not under any illusions, I know exactly what I am going up against, it’s big risk, big reward.

“I (hit) him with my best punch, he’s going to sleep. He (hits) me with his best punch, more than likely I am going to sleep too. I know what I am up against but the big factor for me is, I’m a very active fighter. I’ve had no breaks and I’ve got very little wear and tear on me. If it comes down to a question of heart and determination I win hands down. If it comes down to one punch, it’s a 50-50.

“He hasn’t been in a hard fight for over five years. The last time he had a gut check, he failed it.  Going into this fight, I 100 per cent know that he does not want it as much as me and he is not going to be as brave as me.

“Everyone knows I get off the floor and I fight until the finish. I know the minute it gets tough for David Haye, he’s going to spew it. He thinks he can beat me up in one round with one hand. He’s in for a rude awakening because if this fight gets hard, and I expect it to be the hardest night of my life, he’s in for a bad night.”

“This is just a huge, huge fight,” said Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn. “One of the best heavyweights in the world against the best cruiserweight in the world. An explosion of concussive punchers riddled with bad blood and desperate to score a knockout victory. The build-up will be electric as will fight night. Like millions of fight fans around the world, I cannot wait.”

Information provided courtesy of a press release issued by Matchroom Boxing

 

Tickets go on sale on Monday November 28 at 10am to O2 Priority members at www.theO2.co.uk.

Tickets go on sale on Tuesday November 29 at 10am to Matchroom Fight Pass via LINK: and the venue and AXS pre-sale before tickets go on general sale at www.theO2.co.uk.

Tickets go on general sale on Wednesday November 30 at 10am from www.theO2.co.uk and on 0844 856 0202.

Tickets are priced £60, £80, £100, £150, £200, £300 and £500. Inner Ringside VIP tickets are priced £1000, £2000 (second row) and £2500 (front row)

 

Tom Gray is a UK Correspondent/ Editor for RingTV.com and a member of THE RING ratings panel. Follow him on Twitter: @Tom_Gray_Boxing

 

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