Mairis Briedis expects to face Tony Bellew before David Haye
Monday 13 June 2016 10:21, UK
Mairis Briedis has warned Tony Bellew to focus on his first WBC cruiserweight title defence before he thinks about facing David Haye.
The big-punching Latvian was at ringside to watch Bellew blast out Ilunga Makabu in the third round to claim the WBC title at Goodison Park last month.
In a passionate post-fight interview, Bellew called for a domestic clash with David Haye, and the pair have held initial talks, with the Merseysider suggesting he might even step up to heavyweight.
But Bellew is likely to defend his WBC belt first, with 'champion in recess' Grigory Drozd suggesting he will return from injury against 'The Bomber', while Briedis is thought to be mandatory challenger for the title.
"Now everybody wants a fight with Tony, but I am official mandatory and I need the fight with Tony," said the unbeaten Briedis, who has 17 stoppages in 20 wins.
"This will be a great fight for Latvians who live in Great Britain and for Tony's fans."
Briedis also revealed his post-fight message to Bellew in the changing room, saying: "I told him it was a great fight and in Latvia I have many fans who were watching the Bellew fight.
"He said 'thank you and see you soon'."
Briedis is full of respect for Haye, who held the WBC, WBA and WBO belts at cruiserweight before moving to heavyweight, but he expects to receive the first shot at Bellew and is willing to travel to Britain.
"David Haye is a great fighter," said the 31-year-old. "I have seen his fights and I think Tony Bellew needs to train hard for a fight with David Haye.
"I'm mandatory. Before David Haye, he needs to fight with me.
"One thing is what you want and the second thing is what you need. They are different things. Maybe he wants to fight with Haye, but he needs to fight with me.
"This is a great fight. I fight in many countries, but I haven't fought in England and I think this is a great chance to see England fans.
"I believe next up is Haye, do whatever he wants, but before he needs to fight with me. This is a big challenge for both of us."
