TONY BELLEW has insisted he will continue to fight and has targeted Tyson Fury and Andre Ward as potential future opponents.
The 35-year-old stopped David Haye in five rounds in their rematch at Londonโs 02 Arena, dropping the former WBA heavyweight champion three times and leaving him to consider retirement.
Bellewโs trainer Dave Coldwell and his promoter Eddie Hearn revealed they would also like their fighter to retire, given two significant purses against Haye followed him having achieved his ambitions of winning a world title and fighting at Evertonโs Goodison Park.
Despite his victories at heavyweight and the fact he continues to improve, Bellew recognises his natural size compared to that of reigning world champions Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder means they are too big and powerful for him to challenge.
2๏ธโฃโ0๏ธโฃ to the Bomber!#BellewHaye2 pic.twitter.com/yV2NRsar7C
โ Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) May 5, 2018
He regardless considers the less powerful Fury a worthwhile risk and believes American Ward โ a world champion at super-middleweight and light-heavyweight โ can be tempted out of retirement.
โItโs hard when youโve had your defining moment in this sport. What am I chasing?,โ Bellew said.
โI donโt know. I like fighting and challenges, and Iโve definitely got a screw loose, so Iโll keep fighting until the screw detaches itself.
โIโm not stopping now. See if I can talk (wife Rachael) round and weโll go from there. Thatโs my biggest fight.
โIt doesnโt matter what I do I canโt beat (Goodison Park).
โMy first words to (Haye, post-fight) were โPlease stopโ. This is a very unforgiving sport, itโs a young manโs game for the attributes Haye relies on. All the attributes he had, he doesnโt possess them. Heโs an amazing fighter and will go down better than me.
โIโll beat Andre Ward. An amazing fighter, but I will beat him.
โIโd love to knock Tyson Fury out, I really would, and I know I can flatten him. But (Iโm not waiting for the returning Fury to have) three or four fights.โ
R E P E A T @TonyBellew #BellewHaye2 pic.twitter.com/UDG5KRPdd6
โ Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) May 5, 2018
Bellew had struggled with the death of his brother-in-law Ashley Roberts last year.
He said: โItโs been emotionally one of the worst camps Iโve had, and Iโm in a room at night crying myself to sleep. Itโs hard losing a brother-in-law, your missus and the family is broken.
โI had his dad there (ringside), his brothers, and I left an empty seat (for Roberts) โ theyโre not cheap โ but I know he was there and I dedicate this fight to him. My lifeโs a mess but it all makes sense in a boxing ring.
โI was hoping for a really hard fight, a war, that he would beat the fight out of me, but this has just added to the flames.โ
Hearn also claimed Bellew and Fury had previously agreed a fight before his rematch with Haye, who at 37 is considering hanging up his gloves.
โIโll have to go back and review exactly what happened then make a decision,โ Haye told talkSPORT.
โItโs never good to make a decision when everything is up in the air.
โNobody can say they didnโt get a good nightโs entertainment. They definitely got their moneyโs worth, but the better man won on the night, so congratulations to him.โ