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David Haye vs. Tony Bellew

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Grudge Match
Date4 March 2017
VenueThe O2 Arena, Greenwich, London, UK
Tale of the tape
Boxer United Kingdom David Haye United Kingdom Tony Bellew
Nickname "The Hayemaker" "Bomber"
Hometown Bermondsey, London Toxteth, Liverpool
Purse £4,200,000 £2,800,000
Pre-fight record 28–2 (26 KO) 28–2–1 (18 KO)
Age 36 years, 4 months 34 years, 3 months
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 224+1⁄2 lb (102 kg) 213+1⁄2 lb (97 kg)
Style Orthodox Orthodox
Recognition WBO
No. 1 Ranked Heavyweight
IBF
No. 4 Ranked Heavyweight
WBA
No. 6 Ranked Heavyweight
The Ring
No. 8 Ranked Heavyweight		 WBC
Cruiserweight Champion
The Ring
No. 3 Ranked Cruiserweight
TBRB
No. 5 Ranked Cruiserweight
Result
Bellew defeated Haye via 11th round TKO

David Haye vs. Tony Bellew, billed as Grudge Match,[1] was a professional boxing match contested on 4 March 2017.[2]

Background

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Since making his 2016 comeback, David Haye had collected two quick stoppage victories over relatively unknown opponents. Despite being expected to face former WBO champion Shannon Briggs in September[3] this never materialized.[4][5][6]

In October, following his win over BJ Flores, WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew immediately hit the ringside Haye with a verbal assault referring to him as 'Sideshow Bob'.[7] This continued in the post-fight interview with Bellew stating Haye has been 'conning the British public' since he announced his comeback. Bellew's promoter, Eddie Hearn, claimed the fight could take place at heavyweight or at cruiserweight for Bellew's WBC title.[8] On 25 November 2016, Hearn announced on Twitter that Haye and Bellew would face each other in a heavyweight bout on 4 March 2017 at The O2 Arena, London. The fight was to be shown on Sky Box Office and would be Bellew's first heavyweight fight.[9][10] Haye started as the odds-on favourite.[11]

The fight

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There was little to separate the two fighters until the sixth round, when Haye injured his achilles tendon, causing him to fall twice.[12] Bellew then took control of the fight knocking Haye down and out of the ropes late in the eleventh round. Haye managed to make it to his feet, but his trainer Shane McGuigan threw in the towel,[13] giving Bellew a TKO win. Bellew credited Haye for his bravery, while Haye refused to blame his injury and stated that Bellew was "by far the better fighter", though stated that he wanted a rematch.[14][15] At the time of stoppage, Bellew led on all three scorecards 96–93.

Aftermath

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Speaking afterwards Bellew praised Haye, saying "In my eyes I've beaten the best cruiserweight this country has ever produced and one of the best heavyweights. I am honoured to fight in the same ring as him. I've looked up to him. He made the same mistake everybody else does. He underestimated me. Watch me on tape and I'm terrible but in the ring I'm harder to hit than you think." Bellew's Promoter Eddie Hearn told BBC Radio 5 Live, "We've got to go after a heavyweight world title for Bellew now. I am so pleased for him. He's secured the future for his family and they can live a wonderful life."

Despite the loss, Haye was widely praised for his performance in fighting on whilst severely injured. As Kevin Mitchell of The Guardian newspaper summed up of the fight:

Haye, staggering around the ring like a Saturday night drunk, went down swinging, his right ankle strapped in the ninth then unstrapped, his aged body sagging under every assault.....Even when thrashed through the ropes at the end, Haye clambered back and was willing to continue.... It will not seem so to him as he contemplates the fading of his days, but this was Haye's finest night."[16]

On 14 March, Hearn said that Bellew would fight again in 2017,[17] however a day later, he told Sky Sports that Bellew may need surgery on his broken hand which could see him out of action for up to five months.[18] On 28 March, the WBC changed Bellew's world championship status to "Emeritus" champion.

Undercard

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Confirmed bouts:[19]

Broadcasting

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Country Broadcaster
 Australia Main Event
 Hungary Sport 1
 New Zealand Sky Arena
 United States AWE
 United Kingdom Sky Sports

References

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  1. ^ DAVID HAYE vs. TONY BELLEW (SKY PPV Venue)
  2. ^ "Tony Bellew vs. David Haye (1st meeting)". boxrec.com/. Boxrec. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  3. ^ Dirs, Ben (21 May 2016). "David Haye knocks out Arnold Gjergjaj to set up Shannon Briggs clash". BBC Sport. Retrieved 22 May 2016.
  4. ^ "Shannon Briggs says 'soft' David Haye is making excuses to avoid him". 4 September 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  5. ^ "WATCH: Shannon Briggs chases after David Haye in Brooklyn". 31 July 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  6. ^ "Shannon Briggs claims David Haye backed out of a fight this year". 26 October 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  7. ^ Nate Williams (28 February 2017). "Tony Bellew v David Haye: Their rivalry in their own words". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  8. ^ "Tony Bellew defends WBC world cruiserweight title by stopping BJ Flores". BBC Sport. 15 October 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  9. ^ "David Haye and Tony Bellew will face each other in a huge domestic clash on Sky Sports Box Office".
  10. ^ "David Haye v Tony Bellew set for March 4 in London at heavyweight". 25 November 2016. Archived from the original on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
  11. ^ Luke Reddy (3 March 2017). "David Haye v Tony Bellew: Richie Woodhall says Bellew has been underestimated". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  12. ^ Sky Sports Boxing (1 May 2018). "FULL FIGHT Tony Bellew vs David Haye 4th March 2017". youtube.com. Youtube. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  13. ^ Alex Bysouth (4 March 2017). "Bellew beats Haye in 11th round - reaction". bbc.co.uk. BBC. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  14. ^ Reddy, Luke (5 March 2017). "Tony Bellew beats David Haye with 11th-round stoppage". BBC Sport. BBC Sport. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  15. ^ "Tony Bellew Drops, Stops David Haye in MASSIVE Upset - Boxing News". www.boxingscene.com. 4 March 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  16. ^ Mitchell, Kevin (5 March 2017). "Tony Bellew contemplates rich future after shock win over David Haye". the guardian. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  17. ^ "Tony Bellew will fight again this year, says Eddie Hearn". Sky Sports. 14 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  18. ^ "Tony Bellew may need hand surgery after win over David Haye and faces five-month lay-off". Sky Sports. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  19. ^ "BoxRec - event". Boxrec.
Preceded by David Haye's bouts
4 March 2017 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Tony Bellew's bouts
4 March 2017
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