Tony Bellew: ‘I am the hardest fight David Haye has had since Wladimir Klitschko’

tony bellew vs David Haye

AFTER his confrontation with David Haye at a press conference in the Dorchester hotel, Tony Bellew sits calmly in a sideroom, relishing his March 4 showdown with this latest antagonist.

Bellew, once a light-heavy, is stepping up from cruiserweight to take on a former heavyweight champion in Haye at the O2 in London. โ€œI am better by a country mile than the last two clowns he fought, that is not me disputing, that is just fact. That is fact. I am the hardest fight David Haye has had since Wladimir Klitschko. There is nobody heโ€™s beaten [since] whoโ€™s better than me. That is not up for debate,โ€ Tony argued.

The two nearly came to blows when they went head to head for the cameras. โ€œWhen we got close he looked rattled and he looked nervous,โ€ Bellew insisted. โ€œI didnโ€™t take the step to engage him. I was happy to stand there and tell him a few home truths. That was going through my mind. Then he put his nose on my face, invading my space, so I pushed him. Then he punched me on the side of my head.โ€

โ€œThe whole worldโ€™s seen it,โ€ Bellew continued. โ€œAnd if thatโ€™s the best heโ€™s got on March 4, heโ€™s in a world of trouble. Because if youโ€™re landing a punch and it does absolutely nothing with no gloves on, with gloves on youโ€™ve got a problem.โ€

โ€œHeโ€™s thrown a sly left hook,โ€ the Liverpudlian declared. โ€œHe just clipped me and hit me on the back of the ear.

โ€œIโ€™m not vulnerable at this weight. Heโ€™s not going to do me with one shot.โ€

Bellew however insists he does not relish the notoriety of incidents like this. โ€œI do not think that is good for marketing. I think that has put boxing in a bad light. Thatโ€™s not because of me. Iโ€™m not happy. Iโ€™m ashamed of that,โ€ he said. โ€œTheyโ€™re going to think weโ€™re thugs now. And Iโ€™m not a thug.

โ€œThereโ€™s a reason you move on in life.โ€

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