Wednesday 15 February 2017 16:52, UK
Tony Bellew's big domestic clash with David Haye is a genuine 50-50 fight that can be ended in a split second, says the Liverpudlian's trainer David Coldwell.
We're not stupid. We know a lot of people are going to say Bellew has got no chance, blah, blah, blah. But let me just say this, we've got two guys in there who can punch and punch for real.
We're always said David Haye is not one of the biggest heavyweights out there. He's never been a fighter that can take a lot of punishment. If a fighter can be hurt and dropped by Lolenga Mock, who was a super-middleweight. If he can be hurt by that guy, then I'm telling you now that if Bellew hits him on the chin, then he's taking him out, 100 per cent.
Vice versa, we're not idiots. David Haye is one of the most destructive punchers there has been around the cruiserweight and heavyweight division. If he lands on Tony, then it's the same thing. Both men have been hurt, both men have showed they have got power.
The vast majority of people will look at this and say 'David Haye knocks him out.' People are going on the old David Haye. We're not talking about the old David Haye, we're talking about an older, more inactive David Haye. When was the last time that David Haye looked fantastic in a real fight?
For me, coupled with the fact they are both big punchers, they both can get hurt, yes it's a 50-50 fight.
The last live opponent he had was Dereck Chisora and we're talking about four, five years from that. Since then, he's been inactive, he's been doing whatever he wants to do. He's had a great life, but he's not had someone trying to take his head off.
Yes he's been training and still looks great, he always does, but he's not been living the life of a fighter. That same amount of time since then, Bellew has come from a guy that no one expected to be a world champion to earning his right to become a world champion. He's been having real fights. Mateusz Masternak was a real fight, Illunga Makabu was a real fight and he had a bit of fun in a shootout with BJ Flores, who David Haye said Bellew did not have a chance of beating.
David is now 36 years old, he's even looking a bit older than he used to. He's not the same man that we talked about as a great athlete, that destructive fighter he once was.
People have got to remember that we're not talking about the David Haye of old. For me, coupled with the fact they are both big punchers, they both can get hurt, yes it's a 50-50 fight.
Any one of them could go out there and land clean straight away and the fight is over. If this becomes a dogfight, I'm telling you now that David Haye is not going to outfight Tony Bellew. There is no way.
