TONY BELLEW plans to give David Haye the shock of his life when they collide at the O2 Arena in London this weekend.
The WBC cruiserweight champion has moved to heavyweight in order to face bitter rival Haye and will enter the ring a heavy underdog.
However he also has a clear idea of how he thinks the fight will unfold, and remains convinced that Haye has not prepared himself accordingly.
“Once he sees that I can keep coming and heโs landed something decent, thatโs when heโll panic,” the Liverpudlian said.
“Thereโs two fighters here. Oneโs prepared for a demolition job, the otherโs prepared for the fight of his life. Iโve prepared for the most dangerous, hard-hitting man Iโve ever faced in my life. Mentally, Iโm prepared for that and half this boxing game is mental.
“I know he has [underestimated me]. Thereโs no way Shane McGuigan [Haye’s trainer] or him would take a fight with just four weeks of training with each other if it was anyone else in the world. He just thinks Iโm a cruiserweight.”
The fraught build-up has been littered with harsh comments and intense posturing and earlier this week Haye exploded during a press conference in Liverpool, which was open to the public, calling the audience “f***ing retards”.
Bellew, who has also criticised Haye’s lavish lifestyle, still admires the Londoner’s achievements in boxing but “detests” him as a person.
“Heโs insulted where Iโm from and thatโs a step too far. Iโve always respected him as a fighter, heโs a one-trick pony but itโs a hell of a trick, he just wipes people out in one go,” he said.
“From a personal perspective I think heโs an absolute gobshite. Heโs not a nice fella. Heโs completely detached himself and forgotten where heโs from. Heโs delusional, heโs in his own little world. He lives in cloud cuckoo land.
“Heโs the best fighter Iโve faced in my career, him and Adonis Stevenson, itโs very close. Heโs an outstanding athlete, but heโs not an active outstanding athlete, he picks and chooses when heโs in there and itโs going to catch up with him on Saturday night.”