David Haye just has a few days left until his long sought after rematch against Tony Bellew becomes a reality.
He has been looking forward to this fight since his chief second, Shane McGuigan threw in the towel in the eleventh round of his first battle against the Liverpudlian.
Haye has been uncharacteristically calm and collected in the lead up to this rematch date. A stark contrast with how he conducted himself in the lead up to the first fight.
But at yesterday’s press conference, Haye reverted back to type and shared a chilling warning for the former cruiserweight world champion, Tony Bellew.
‘The Hayemaker’ has promised to return the favour that Bellew inflicted on him in the first fight. The 37-year-old Bermondsey fighter has predicted that he expects the towel will come in from the Liverpudlian’s corner.
Furthermore, Haye began his camp this time around with emphasis on, as he so eloquently put it ‘sharpening his tools’ in this current camp. After seeming lost for ideas on how to set up his offence in his first fight with Bellew, Haye was forced to rethink his ideas.
The result was that David Haye teamed up with the renown trainer, Ismael Salas who led Jorge Linares’s career revival and rise to the top of the lightweight division.
Haye believes he is now reaping the rewards of that decision and claims he has improved across the board and is of the belief that he is a more finely tuned fighter now.
When discussed what particular aspects of his game, he has improved on, “Speed, timing, accuracy, conditioning,” Haye said to Sky Sports.
Haye has not predicted a knockout at a certain stage of the fight, however. Haye says he may do something he has never planned to.
That is to look to break down an opponent over a number of rounds before taking out his foe down.
“It may not be early. It may be very late. I might aim to do something I’ve never done before.”
“I always aim to take people out early but I might try something different. It will be a knockout, TKO, referee stoppage or the towel will come in.”
Dave Coldwell, who trains Tony Bellew of course used to work in David Haye’s gym. Haye believes he knows the man well enough to predict that he will look to save his fighter from receiving further punishment, between those ropes.
“He will not hear the final bell. [Bellew’s trainer] Dave Coldwell is a compassionate man.”
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