Tuesday 21 November 2017 23:38, UK
Tony Bellew still wants a rematch with David Haye but has suggested they both take an interim fight in the meantime.
Their scheduled second fight for December 17 was postponed on Monday due to a bicep injury to Haye that he described as a "freak accident" but the rematch could still be rearranged for next year.
"I am looking at a postponement and getting it on in the first couple of weeks in March," Bellew told Sky Sports News. "But can David be ready? Can he be trusted?
Maybe David will take an interim fight, and I'll take one too. Maybe, down the line, we meet again.
"Ideally I'd like to take a bout before. I want to stay busy, I've been known my whole career as an active fighter. I will have been out of the ring for a year, and that's not good for me. This is a job, I've got a family to feed.
"Maybe David will take an interim fight, and I'll take one too. Maybe, down the line, we meet again. I do want to face David Haye - I want to put it to rest. I've always been a massive underdog. People said I was crazy [before the first fight] but look what happened."
Bellew won their first fight in March after a serious Achilles injury to his bitter rival. Haye's latest injury is expected to be less serious and he insisted a rematch could take place on "March 24 or May 5, subject to scheduling".
"It's heart-breaking, it's devastating," Bellew said of Haye's withdrawal. "To get the phone call that David is out was a shattering blow. I've spent thousands of pounds on a camp. I've been in camp for 10 weeks of a 14-week camp. My trainer, Dave Coldwell, has spent half that time coming to Liverpool to help me get over the personal problems that I've had.
"This is the fourth fight that David has pulled out of in his last eight scheduled bouts. Once against Wladimir Klitschko, two against Tyson Fury and now me. He has torn some serious muscle groups in his body. Both biceps, his Achilles, his hamstring - what is going to go next?
"I'm not too sure I can wait around for this to happen again."
Bellew has been challenged by Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte since Haye's withdrawal, but he insists that WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker was the only viable alternative.
"I just want to move on. This week, we've contacted Joseph Parker but he's not available, he said he isn't ready for December 17. He was the only one who made sense. I thought he might take it, because he's recently come off a win over Hughie Fury. It's not going to happen.
"I'm getting back in the ring early next year. The day after the news broke, I'm back in the gym. I need to stay busy and active."
