Poor fight overall. Just watched a few rounds of it. Pretty awful stuff really. Haye was massively overrated and Bellew was sneered at for his flabby body. Bellew always had a great chin though and he was tough enough to survive anything Haye landed, not that he landed much. His fitness belies his flabby physique. But he is not a great boxer by any means. Haye really has very delicate feet/lower legs in general though, doesnt he? Lets not pretend Haye is some kind of Marravilla-esque hero who battled through injury in a titanic performance against a deadly opponent though. That didnt happen here. Awful rubbish really.
It was a poor fight. I don't think either of these fighters deserve any credit for anything. The way they behaved in the build up to this fight is a complete disgrace. They both talk utter rubbish and fool the public into thinking there elite level fighters.
I loved the fight. The ring entrances...Bellew seemingly unperturbed, dancing in the ring to 'ain't no stopping us now'. The fight itself with Bellew constantly slipping Haye's wild lunging hooks. Them both going toe to toe. Haye starting to gas 'before' the injury. The realisation that Bellew was actually too fast for him. Haye's bravery despite taking a beating against the ropes. Bellew gassing before Haye's corner finally chucked the towel in and me and my missus jumping up and down with delight. Of course, to others it was just some overhyped fight between a has-been and a fat scouser. It is what it is to different people though and I accept that. But I know what it meant to me and to many other people in Merseyside though. Absolute quality.
Thought it was a good fight enjoyed watching it. Wasn't sure who I wanted to win but once the first bell rang I wanted Bellew to. As for the injury - Haye was cleared to fight so to me you expect the version possible to show up. But from minute 1 his co ordination and balance were off and Bellew did very well defensively and lets be honest Bellew was also injured early doors so for me it was a fair fight. Haye was supposed to win early. I thought by round 4 the circus would be over but it wasn't Bellew was in the first. Not sure how the score cards were i'd have to watch it again but something like 3-2 after 5 wouldnt have sounded to far wrong. Bellew took what Haye had and even when they went toe to toe in the 6th Bellew didn't go anywhere. Then he went hard after Haye in the 7th gasses himself (haye was gassing at the end of the 4th) befoe recovering and putting sensible pressure on to finish it. Bellew deserves massive credit for the win... Haye's leg went? So what Danny Williams dislocated his shoulder and won, so did fraudley .. I appreciate they were different injuries but at the end of the Bellew won and deserved to after putting up with Hayes insults and then at times outboxing him and taking his best shots
Yup well played Twenty, you did call it, I personally like many assumed it would be fairly straightforward for Haye and was wrong. You have also backed up your prediction respectfully.... not being needy and a douche and asking for apologies etc but instead looking for credit to Bellew. Which he has to be given, even before Hayes injury he was more than holding his own with him.
Bellew deserves plenty credit but I was shocked at the degree he was right about Haye not being the same man. On the understanding David was at least 70% I was confident of an early blowout yet his speed, balance, technique and approach were all off. Perhaps that was a third of the old Haye.
Thank you for this post, A very fair and neutral assessment. Plus, I also completely agree. A lot of people discrediting the fight because of the pre-hype PR and stuff like that. But at the end of the day it was an enjoyable fight and I was entertained. So in my eyes thats all that really matters - being entertained.
I give Bellew full credit because he was better than I expected him to be. Haye was exactly as I knew he'd be, the same Haye we saw against De Mori and Gjarbage. The only factor that surprise me was Bellew.
Bellew's greatest asset that nobody gives him credit for is his intelligence. He planned Saturday from the minute Haye announced his return. He used Hayes opponents to deride his comeback, he knew exactly how to rile him to get the fight at the right time, he used David Hayes tactics to promote the fight, he saw enough decline in Haye, one that nobody else did. I don't recall him ever rubbishing him before he could see this fight(I halve expect the two of them to have even planned the path it's taken in the last 12 months). Haye got a bigger paying fight than he would three fights into a usual return without what he believed too much risk, Bellew got his biggest by in large by attracting the casual fan who buy up the PPVs with his antics and appearing in a Boxing Film. Bellew mocking Haye for pulling out through injury n the past meant Haye couldn't do so this time. If Haye has hurt his ankle before hand ''Why didn't his corner enforce him into wearing proper boots in the fight?'' Sixteen Stone Men getting hit by s Sixteen stone Boxers need ankle support. Haye couldn't knock him out in the early rounds, Bellew couldn't envisage the injury but he knew something we didn't and may have sussed Haye wasn't able to go the distance anymore, Once injured Bellew was smart enough to know at that point he couldn't lose. Why take the risk in engaging too recklessly when he had it won? He boxed smart and won. The man is smart enough to now know the balls in his court career-wise he can finish at a young age with a title, money & health and now respect from the Boxing World. What now? The man's smarter than me and 99% of us on here he'll get the next step right. Cruiser-weights not lucrative enough to bother. It's no coincidence that Fury announced his return today but Bellew's not daft enough to fight Heavyweights of that size, the other top ranked are big men too he will not fight AJ. The only one I see is one that follows the same story as this to gain mass-appeal (i.e money). Known for his mouth, controversial press conferences, edgy set-up face-offs on SKY and can play the villain. It's Dillan Whyte, Bellew got niggled at his mention this morning. The masses won't buy a Haye re-match at the same rate. David may do a ''Haye ''and tease Bellew out and use the ankle excuse, like many here have(But he hasn't yet) Bellew predicted that too ''Don't blame any injury when you lose''
Refusing to accept this fight even got agreed to in the first place. Just going to block it out forever
Bellew gets credit for taking the fight and ultimately winning... but I think people making him out to be a boxing genius or super intelligent are a little off. I still believe Bellew made this fight because he knew it was by far the biggest payday he was ever going to get, I don't think it would have bothered him getting beat, it wouldn't have hurt his legacy and he would just go back to cruiserweight still the champion. If Haye doesn't have the achilles problem coming into the fight, he beats Bellew by knockout or over 12 rounds... he shown absolutely no signs of gassing, he was getting better up until his achilles completely went, Bellew was the only one who gassed in this fight. If that happens, people just call it what it was... easy money fight for both. But a freak injury prevented that from being the case.
While I wanted Haye to win being a South Londoner, I actually don't mind Bellew. Maximum respect to Bellew for getting it right about Haye not being the same and that he'd weather the storm and take him late. While no one could've predicted the injury that Haye found himself with, you can't knock Bellew for that, you can only fight what's in front of you. I don't agree with a lot of the criticism Bellew has now taken about not being able to finish him 'properly', it was obvious Bellew was beginning to gas himself. I also don't necessarily agree that steaming into Haye would've been the right thing to do either. Haye was calling Bellew on to him as he wanted him in close, one because he obviously couldn't walk around the ring and two, because he knew if he had him in close it was his only chance of connecting with Bellew and somehow getting a result. Imagine the criticism Bellew would've taken if he had've steamed in and got caught with a big left and KO'd? While I don't think it'll go down as an all time classic, it was certainly entertaining and full of drama. Big respect to both fighters in my book.
He gets credit for taking a few bombs and showing good handspeed, definitely, but nothing more than that. Has anyone here ruptured their achilles like Haye did? I have and I could just about take a few light steps before needing to stop and go to hospital. Haye couldn't move properly for five rounds. He would have been in excruciating pain and was limited to staying pretty much still and throwing arm punches. Bellew gets zero respect for taking five rounds to finish off an incapacitated man. He also gets zero respect for talking as if Haye was in his prime and uninjured. Bellew would not have won if the injury hadn't occurred. He was gassing and Haye was just starting to find his range. And before any says I'm biased, I like neither of them so I'm calling it as it needs to be called, without Everton or Hayemaker tinted glasses on.
Sorry Hankey and Kasabian, but I think you're both being a little unfair on Bellew. I watched the fight for a third time last night, I know that might sound sad but I watch loads of fights, I love boxing. Haye went in that ring with a disrespect for Bellew's abilities and thought all he had to was close him down and spark him out fast. That was mistake number 1. They were poor tactics. Bellew knew he'd do this and was prepared for it. They were good tactics. Fighting is like a chess match at times and Bellew sacriced a few pawns to get Haye just where he wanted him. Haye finally realised by the end of round 2 that he no longer had that speed and timing that once made him an elite fighter. He changed his tactics and actually started to box really well. Bellew knew that Haye was too heavy and knew that if he took him into the second half of the fight, that Haye's body would start to break down. He stated plenty of times that this would happen in the build up. Low and behold, Haye's achilles went and the rest his history. Bellew knows that Haye is technically a more skilful fighter. He acknowledged that beforehand and afterwards. But what he did was execute an intelligent game plan put together by Coldwell and it paid dividends. It's a 12 round fight, not a 6 round fight. Nobody is saying Bellew is the more technically sound boxer of the two. But he used his head and got it right on the night by taking Haye into deep waters, just like he said.
