Bellew vs Haye II: Why the rematch is happening
The intrigue ahead of the rematch lies in which fighter will willingly dive to the depths of the first fight
Friday 29 September 2017 14:32, UK
Other opponents and options were mentioned yet Tony Bellew and David Haye have been drawn together again to finish a feud that nobody ever thought would remain dormant.
Don't be fooled by the hug after their first fight. It was the only moment that Bellew and Haye dropped their guard to reveal mutual respect, after 11 dramatic rounds and one debilitating injury last March. But it didn't last.
"I'd taken everything away from him. I destroyed him, demolished him, and carried him back to his corner," Bellew told Sky Sports afterwards.
"I saw a man hurt, and I wanted to help. Had David done to me what he said he would, he would have ridiculed me."
And therein lies the reasons for December's rematch, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Bellew won their first fight when the towel came in to save Haye, whose Achilles had fallen apart and has only recently been rebuilt, but the score was never truly settled.
[Bellew] doesn't feel like he got the credit he would have got if there was no injury. He said: I want to beat [Haye] properly this time.
"[Bellew] doesn't feel like he got the credit he would have got if there was no injury," promoter Eddie Hearn told Sky Sports. "He said: I want to beat [Haye] properly this time."
Haye's stricken ankle, suffered in the sixth round, deprived Bellew of the type of clean victory that he desired. Although Haye, to his credit, offered no excuses there remained a lingering doubt about what might happen if the big-punching heavyweight had the full use of his right leg. Those doubts mean the rivalry could not die.
"I didn't think he'd be able to go through what he went through, and I'm sure the feeling is mutual," Haye reflected to Sky Sports afterwards.
"Maybe people needed to be reminded that I am actually a fighter. When things aren't going my way, I don't just give up. People don't know that."
And, bizarrely, from the ruins of his high-profile humbling, a newer David Haye has emerged, but Bellew must beware of treating him lightly. If Bellew slips into the belief that he's boxing an injured, slower opponent who can't hurt him then he may be awoken by a painful nightmare.
The intrigue ahead of the rematch lies in which fighter will willingly dive to the depths of the first fight.
Bellew was riddled with a healthy fear of Haye's dangerousness last March. His preparation was swamped with admissions of Haye's power, and how it could leave him flattened. It spurred him to move, move, move even when Haye's mobility had been hampered. Bellew has now tasted that power and survived, but perhaps having confidence in his ability to sustain Haye's punches again is the worst possible preparation. We shall see how aggressively Bellew approaches the early exchanges.
Haye, by contrast, must wrestle with the self-doubt that accompanies any defeat despite how outwardly confident he always appears. His change of trainer could yet prove to be a key subplot in this rivalry's history.
Out with Shane McGuigan, who threw in the towel to end the first fight, and in with Ismael Salas. The incoming Cuban is based in Miami, Haye's favourite haunt, and has been charged with adding a "renewed skill-set" to his fighter's repertoire. Haye welcomed Salas by saying he places "huge value on what he can bring to my armoury".
Salas' ability, or otherwise, to add to Haye's existing weaponry may determine whether he is able to avenge his defeat to Bellew. Great rewards lie in wait for the victor, which is another reason why the grudge just cannot be dropped.
There's too much potentially at stake for the winner. Anthony Joshua has never been far from Haye's thoughts, even during recovery from defeat. "People are more relevant for calling people out than for actually fighting," Joshua said about Haye, who now has the opportunity against Bellew to prove those words incorrect. But the seed of a future rivalry has been planted and, given the characters involved, no arena would satisfy the demand to watch.
But, for now, Bellew and Haye must again grit their teeth and snarl towards each other. There is no other opponent that they would rather hurt, and there is no better reason to fight.
