Few pundits gave Tony Bellew much of a chance against David Haye, but the Liverpudlian caused a major upset by gaining victory on a tumultuous night for British boxing.
Bellew was able to evade punches well early on, making the Bermondsey man miss with huge ‘Haye-makers’ and countering with rear hands.
However Haye, who had not been past two rounds for six years, managed to find his range in round four, catching the Bellew with sharp single shots to the head and body.
Injured
In round six the momentum swung again as Haye stepped awkwardly, incurring the injury to his Achilles.
From then on he was forced to trade with Bellew who looked to end the fight. But it wasn’t until the 11th round that Haye’s trainer Shane McGuigan had seen enough, throwing in the towel to save his man to fight another day.
Respect
Despite a heated build-up, both fighters showed their respect for one another after the fight.
Bellew told Sky Sports “I have so much respect for David as a fighter, he’s a brilliant fighter and he’ll come again.”
Haye likewise showed character, refraining from using his injury as an excuse and instead giving credit to his Scouse opponent.
“Tony was a great fighter, that’s what went wrong,” he admitted. “I felt great coming into the fight, I wanted to do a demolition job, but this guy has the heart of a lion.”
Bellew’s camp will now decide whether or not Bellow stays at heavyweight to chase fights with world champions Joseph Parker and Deontay Wilder, whereas David Haye faces time with his physician as he starts the recovery from his injury.