By Scott Gilfoid: Tony Bellew (30-2-1, 20 KOs) finished off the career of former two division world champion David Haye (28-4, 26 KOs) in knocking him down three times in the process of stopping him in the 5th round on Saturday night in their rematch at the O2 Arena in London, UK.
Bellew, 34, knocked Haye down twice in round 3, and once in round 5. Haye got back to his feet after the knockdown in the 5th, but the referee quickly jumped in and stopped the action without letting it play out to the finish. We’ll never know for sure if Haye could have survived or not.
Haye, 37, reinjured his right ankle in round 3 after getting knocked down twice. From that point on, it was obvious that Haye was not going to be able to survive for long because he was unable to move and Bellew was teeing off on him.
“Haye goes down as a better fighter than me,” Bellew said to Sky Sports afterwards in paying his respects to the former two division world champion Haye. ”Age does play a factor with his style. Speed and timing.”
Haye will surely retire now, as he has nowhere to go. His body is not able to hold up under the wear and tear of his fights, and his stamina and hand speed aren’t the same as well.
Bellew’s win over Haye might be enough of a reason for his promoter Eddie Hearn to stick him in with IBF/WBA heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua. That’s the best thing that Hearn can do. If Bellew wants to cash out and make a lot of green, a fight with Joshua is the best way for him to do that.
If Bellew fights WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, he’ll likely get knocked out badly and the money won’t be as good. Bellew spoke recently of wanting to go back down to cruiserweight to fight the winner of the World Boxing Super Series tournament fight between Murat Gassiev and Oleksandr Usyk. If Bellew is willing to wait 6 or 8 months, he can probably do that, but the money won’t be as good as it would if he fought Joshua or Wilder.
Bellew isn’t a real heavyweight, so he can’t be put in with any of the good contenders in the division without him likely getting beaten to a pulp. Sure, Bellew beat Haye, but he’s totally shot. Haye looked absolutely over-the-hill tonight, and he looked that way in the sparring video that he released of him sparring Malik Scott. That video was worrisome with the way Scott was nailing Haye was combinations and working him over.
When I saw that video, I knew Haye was in for a beating on Saturday night, and sure enough, I was right. I hate to say it but I was right. I have to give props to Bellew for winning the fight. He did what he had to do to beat an over-the-hill fighter. But at the same time, I wouldn’t get too excited if I were Bellew. He’s not a good heavyweight. He’s just someone that fought an old timer, whose career really ended back in 2011 when he lost to Wladimir Klitschko. Since that lose, Haye has rarely fought. Haye fought once in 2012, and then was out of the ring for 4 years before fighting Mark de Mori in 2016. How many heavyweights are effective when they fight just once in 5 years?
“Bellew fought a very good fight and I didn’t, simply<" haye said after the fight to Sky Sports. “Tony was a better man, I couldn’t quite make it happen, everything happens for a reason. He’s a great champion and I enjoy the battle. Bellew’s my nemesis, we are of similar stature, that’s why we gel and make such a fun fight.”
Bellew said he wants to now fight the retired Andre Ward. However, that’s unlikely to happen. When Bellew’s promoter Eddie Hearn was asked what’s next for him, he said he doesn’t know. Hearn knows that he can’t just match Bellew against a fodder opponent at heavyweight and sell the fight on Sky Box Office. Bellew will need to fight a live body, and the problem with that is he’ll lose if he’s matched against someone a little too good.