Why does Bellew get given a pass?

Well because he's an evidently different boxer at CW. If he boxed Stevenson at CW he certainly wouldn't get destroyed like he did at LHW.

I wouldn't say he gets a "pass". People criticise him heaps for his **** fights against Cleverly (II), Chilemba and Stevenson. His performance against Makabu when most wrote him off probably allows the Stevenson performance to be forgiven.

 

In hindsight i dont think haye deserved nearly the level of critism he got. Klitchko was just too big for him in the end. He deserved critism for not going for it as the rounds were ticking away but the gameplan was probably the most sensible one to adopt. Klitchko would have just tired haye out by leaning and grappling him if haye went all out early as he said he would.

Bellew did get critism but again the gameplan wasnt the problem...it was probably how frightened he looked after talking it up so much. But again it was probably bellews best shot he started trying to counterpunch stevenson. It did actually start to make stevenson a bit more hesitant. It was starting to become a bit of a frustrating night for him if you watch it back. If tony would have met him head on he would have been knocked out quicker with a smaller chance of winning.

Although people like to complain especially the casuals cause some of them dont actually have great knowledge of the sport. No shame in that everyone out there knows less than someone. But it probably was the best game plan for both bellew and haye. And a lot of people would send them out with the same gameplan if they actually coached them and wanted to win. Cause the way both of them talked of the gameplan would have resulted in defeat easier than it was with less chance of winning

 

Bellew had some underwhelming stinkers very early in his career where he seemingly went in and expected to get the KO easily and then sulked when it didn't come, too. Can't recall the opponent, but also struggled with Ovill.

 

Wlad controlled range and was able to read the swings of Haye. I'm not sure what else Haye could of done. You can say attack more but he was just missing. The toe thing was embarassing yes. Bellew tried his best also, if he would of been agressive he would of just walked into a left hand earlier.

 

It's a very fair question, I think he has had quite a few passes, the two Cleverly fights were awful after he promised us all he was going to knock him out and was prepared to die in the ring then stunk the place out, bored us all to tears.

The two Chilemba fights were not all that either, I thought he lost the first one.

Haha, I remember Bellew kicking off and calling Stevenson a "midget" and then he got his backside handed to him. It was all very embarrassing but I think people have basically forgotten the fight because it was abroad in the early hours of the morning and nobody really saw it because nobody cared.

 

The haye one i think emallini nailed it. Wlad controlled range very very well. Klitchkos tactics took the play away from haye who was lets be honest giving away too many advantages in terms of height/reach etc.

The bellew one. His tactics i thought were the best for him ended in him getting ko,d in 6 so you could be right mate. I m not too sure if bellew went out with a set game plan. Stevenson made him fight that way. Or he was just petrified. Personally think that stevenson hits like a mule tho. Tonys chin wasnt as good at the weight his power didnt seem as good either down there. Nearly everytime tony tried to take it to him he would get cracked. As the fight wore on tony tried to just sit and counterpunch. It actually caused stevenson some problems. If you get the chance watch it again i m sure stevenson starts getting a bit hesitant. Started having to think about his attacks a bit more plus was becoming a bit frustrated cause tony was spoiling to an extent.

Thats what tonys tactics against haye will be imo. Hes actually quite a tricky counterpuncher. I cant see him trying to exchange. Will be hold out for a counterpunch then put the throttle on if he hurts him with one. Haye will be too fast for it tho.

 

If he fought like that against stevenson imagine how he'd fight against Haye ffs.

 

Completely agreed and have said this for a while too, the Cleverly fights were poor but he just slightly less poor so he won the latter.
Chilemba won the first fight between them IMO and he tried his bully boy tactics on Stevenson who completely flattened him.

The move to CW has been great for him but I don't know why people think Makabu is an elite level fighter and tbh Flores is just mediocre.
Usyk is everything Bellew thinks he is.
Once he meets a Stevenson level fighter at CW, the same thing is going to happen that happened against Stevenson.
Makabu and Flores are not at that level!

 

Yes he should of attacked more. Obviously his game plan was raiding tactics but he hardly tried it and after all the bravado of the pre fight talk it was very disapointing. Haye didnt come up against anything that was uncalcuble before the fight.
I supose you could argue that haye was selling the fight and that was the motive for all the talk leading into the fight and in that respect he did a good job but ive never seen him in the same light since that night so in the long term he probably done himself no good. I have very little interest in haye anymore

 

Tbf he couldnt have done much more. Everytime he did go forward. Klitchko just backed off if i remember it correctly. With klitchko,s reach height advantage he just couldnt make up that distance with him backing off. His biggest mistake was like many before him underestimating how good wlad was. Wlad actually spoiled in the fight more than haye did.

Essentially he was just giving too many advantages away. The height/reach difference was too great to make up. Add to that it was a good tactical performance from wlad. Sneak forward with the jab...any chance of haye attacking back off. Then sneak forward again behind the jab. Haye was just outfoxed.

I dont get the critism he takes for it maybe at the time but it was something like 4 years ago. Hayes pretty much always gave excitement throughout his career. Big puncher. Fast. Quick reflexes. Mixed it up at times. Ko,d fighters. Hes one of the best britains had for years plus looks like hes still got a bit to offer. Adds to the current heavyweight division. And yet no one can get over one performance against a guy about a foot taller than him that dominated for years etc. It was actually one of the better challenges that wlad had compared to some of the others from a blown up cruiserweight.

People say he should have went for it from the off...but it would be madness. Very rarely do fights between two top fighters start that way for a reason. Wlad would have just leaned on him. Tied him up. Used the jab. Backed off. Then finished a tired haye in about the third round. Bearing in mind how the thompson fight went it would have been a crazy gameplan in reality. Think his biggest crime was not pushing it more tho in the later rounds then toegate but think wlad had the momentum at that point...he had haye under control. Tbf hes very good at what he does cause it worked for years. It took a bigger man than him with a longer reach and good movement to beat him. Still think wlad beats anyone smaller out there even at 41. I still fancy haye against almost anyone including joshua even at this stage. None of the rest know how to use their height/reach advantage better than wlad does.

 

Not sure people understand the difference between light heavy and crusierweight?? Oh well.

 

David Haye was in a very high profile heavyweight fight, that's why.
If he had won the fight or put up a great effort and lost with no excuses the credit given to him would have been huge.
It cuts both ways.
If you do something special or brave in a big heavyweight championship fight you are likely to be treated like a hero.
If you do something lame and then embarrass yourself with a childish pathetic excuse you will be loudly criticized.

Bellew has never really be taken seriously.
David Haye, to varying degrees, was at least at one time taken seriously.

 

Bellew never comes close to the hype and fame that Haye had, and got mostly ignored up to this point. Haye talked big and even bigger and fell from grace in a huge manner.
Bellew hardly has had much hight to fall from, but seems to be at his peak atm. If he talks big and then soils his pants against guys like Lebedev, Huck or Usyk, there will be backlash