David Haye, Tony Bellew heavyweight grudge match set for March 4 in London
Tony Bellew had just knocked out B.J. Flores, and then, the cruiserweight titleholder turner to his fallen foe's friend, and shot from the hip.
He called David Haye's comeback "pathetic" and said the heavyweight was "conning the British public" during a ringside tirade in October.
Bellew demanded Haye fight him next, and promised to put the former model and his "pathetic haircut to sleep."
Well, Bellew is going to get his wish.
The former Creed star will move up to heavyweight for a heavily anticipated British grudge match against Haye, Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn announced Friday.
"Bellew is completely delusional if he thinks he can beat me," said Haye (28-2, 26 KOs). "He still thinks he's on the set of Creed and there will be some kind of Rocky-style happy ending. But come March 4th at The 02 in London I will bring reality crashing down on him.
"I've earned my credentials the hard way inside the ring, not on film sets. There will be no second takes, no stunt men taking the blows and no flashing lights on the red carpet. The only lights Bellew will see are those of the spotlights shining down on him when he wakes up from his nap on the canvas."
It's a formidable task for Bellew, who was knocked out by Adonis Stevenson at light heavyweight just three years ago. Sure, the 33-year-old has found success after moving to cruiserweight, culminating with a third-round knockout of Ilunga Makabu in May to win the WBC title.
Now, though, Bellew will be climbing to another weight class, and he's facing one of the biggest - and fastest - punchers in the division.
Haye, a former cruiserweight and heavyweight champ who dropped his title to Wladimir Klitschko, was out of the ring for more than three years, but returned to top two journeymen this year.
The 36-year-old did so sporting a visibly larger - yet still chiseled - physique at around 225 pounds. The cruiserweight limit is 200, so Bellew faces a tall task and will be counted as a massive underdog.
"I've backed him into a corner, left him nowhere to go, and now I have what I want," said Bellew. "I'm not under any illusions, I know exactly what I am going up against. It's big risk, big reward.
"I cop him with my best punch, he's going to sleep. He cops me with his best punch, more than likely I am going to sleep too. I know what I am up against but the big factor for me is, I'm a very active fighter, I've had no breaks and I've got very little wear and tear on me. If it comes down to a question of heart and determination I win hands down. If it comes down to one punch, it's a 50-50."
(Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP)