Haye vs Bellew: Warning signals exchanged by David Haye and Tony Bellew at final press conference
Reflections from Thursday's spiteful face-to-face
Friday 3 March 2017 10:44, UK
David Haye and Tony Bellew were kept separated during a staredown at their final press conference, but they will be unchained soon enough…
They're edging closer, and closer. The same mob of security guards, the most over-worked firm of the week, kept David Haye and Tony Bellew several feet apart on Thursday but the clock is ticking.
They stood with clenched fists feigning relaxed body language that fooled nobody at their final press conference, hovering ominously in an area that overlooked an empty space where Saturday's ring will finally see their feud settled.
Haye and Bellew maintained their professionalism and traded nothing but warning signals - their tense staredown lasted almost five minutes and ended with finger-pointing, puffed-out chests and the bearing of teeth.
Stood opposite each other, Haye's attention only wavered to launch more verbals at Bellew's trainer Dave Coldwell, who once worked for 'Hayemaker'.
"Your eyes don't lie, David," growled Bellew as his rival slowly left the stage, cameras illuminating the pair with their flashes.
The injury rumours that Haye dispelled with his shadow-boxing at Wednesday's open workouts seemed like a distant memory, although Bellew wasn't yet ready to let go.
"No excuses. I don't want to hear any of them at all," Bellew warned from across the table before their stare-down.
Hit and not get hit, that's what I'll try and do. I don't enjoy getting punched.
Bellew, the WBC cruiserweight champion who will make his heavyweight debut on Saturday, has been vocal all week about banking on Haye to be failed by his toughness and willpower. But on Thursday, Bellew perhaps revealed more than ever before about his plan to make Haye wilt.
"Hit and not get hit, that's what I'll try and do," he said. "I don't enjoy getting punched, and I have no intention of getting whacked. The dream is to get the job done with minimal damage to myself."
The press conference featured other notable titbits - Coldwell opened proceedings with a long speech about Haye's declining ability, before his opposite number Shane McGuigan sarcastically replied. The rivalry between the two trainers is nowhere near as ugly as the fighters', but there is some healthy spite between the red and blue corners.
Both main-event fighters looked typically agitated, clothed in sportswear and sipping nervously from water bottles throughout. Understandably, their eyes must be glued to the clock that will make them wait another 48 hours before fighting.
