By Scott Gilfoid: WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew (28-2-1, 18 KOs) failed to impress heavyweight David Haye with his 3rd round knockout win over Haye’s friend BJ Flores (32-3-1, 20 KOs) on Saturday night at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. Bellew called Haye out after the fight, saying he wants to fight him.
Bellew even jumped over the ropes WWE style and had to be restrained by the security staff when he tried to get to Haye. The whole thing looked HORRIBLY staged. The security was already there waiting, and Bellew’s theatrics looked unbelievable.
If Haye and Bellew are going to try and sell their mismatch to the British boxing public, then they’re going to need to do a better job of making the fight believable, because it looks phony to me. Without Bellew having any experience in fighting at heavyweight, it’s just not even fair to put him in the ring with Haye.
At least if Bellew fought someone like 44-year-old Shannon Briggs to show that he’s for real, it would be a semi-believable fight. The problem is if Bellew did fighting Briggs, he would be knocked out. The 6’4”, 244lb Briggs can still punch, and I don’t think Bellew would be able to take more than a handful of his body before he went don for the count.
Haye said to skysports.com about Bellew’s performance in beating the 37-year-old Flores:
“Bellew has dynamite in his fists but would that work on me? I don’t think so. He was taking a few big shots in the process, his defence was leaky. Against me, that’d take one shot. I’ve been a heavyweight for eight or nine years. If he wants to come up, it’s an easy night’s work. I’ll probably knock him out with a jab.”
I hate to say it but I totally believe Haye. I think he would ABSOLUTLY KO Bellew with a simple jab. Bellew was showing no defense at all tonight against Flores, and he was getting hit too much. If that wa Haye inside the ring with him tonight, I think the fight would have been over in round one. It wouldn’t have been interesting at all.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIWjAvsm1g0
Bellew said this to skysports.com about wanting to fight Haye:
“The last two guys you fought are working on nightclub doors, or they’re putting the bins out. With ten ounce gloves on, I’ll put you and your pathetic haircut to sleep.”
Haye, 36, will be fighting on December 10 against an opponent still to be determined. Haye is supposed to be getting used to fighting again after being out of the boxing ring for almost four years. The end goal is for Haye to fight IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua for his title, as well as perhaps the WBA belt as well. Joshua is 6’6”, 243lbs.
It doesn’t help Haye to fight 200lb cruiserweights like Bellew. That’s going in the opposite direction from what he needs to go in. If Haye wants to get ready for Joshua, then he needs to be fighting guys that are 6’5”, and have big time punching power. Fighting a skinny beanpole with a beard and flab around his midsection isn’t going to help Haye.
As for tonight’s mismatch, Bellew knocked out the 37-year-old BJ Flores in three rounds after knocking him down four times in the fight. It was an embarrassingly easy win for Bellew, but it’s also not surprising that it was so easy. After all, Flores was picked out from the bottom of the World Boxing Council’s top 15. Bellew could have fought his mandatory #1 WBC Mairis Briedis or any of the top contenders in the division. Instead, he chose an aging fighter from the bottom of the rankings in Flores. What you hate to see is the boxing public to see this fool’s gold to think that Bellew is better than he actually is. The fans need to know this fight was always going to be a mismatch, because Flores was a fringe contender.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjI9bRiCr14
A fight between Bellew and Haye would be a fun car crash type spectacle if Bellew wasn’t holding down the WBC title. But with #1 WBC Briedis waiting for his title shot against Bellew, it’s not fair to him for Haye to be taking on Bellew before he gets his title shot. I’m just saying.