The stage is all but set and the preparation is almost complete, as this much anticipated rematch between former friends, turned bitter rivals, David Haye and Tony Bellew will be upon us this Saturday night, 5th of May 2018, at the London O2 Arena.

Red corner/Blue corner

... Introducing first, Fighting out of the red corner. In 31 professional fights, he has 28 victories with 26 wins by knockout, and only 3 defeats. He is the former unified Cruiserweight World Champion and former W.B.A. heavyweight champion of the world...from London, England....

Daviddd 'Haymakerr' Hayeee...

...And across the ring fighting out of the blue corner. In 32 professional fights, he has amassed 29 victories including 19 wins by knockout, with only 2 defeats and 1 draw. He is the former WBC cruiserweight champion of the world... from Liverpool, England...

Tonyyy 'Bomberrr' Bellewww...

The upset

Most boxing fans, boxing pundits and even David Haye himself, underestimated the durable, determined Bellew in the last meeting,... or did they?

Credit, where credit is deserved, when the final bell tolled, it was Tony Bellew who had his hand raised in victory, and deservedly so for he was the last man standing, but was it his dogged heart or his iron will that won him the fight? or was it simply down to the fact that David Haye was severely injured?

Haye by his own admission did not take the challenge of Bellew seriously first time around. He cut corners during training, refused to postpone the fight even though he was troubled by a recurring injury, and seemed to have little to no game plan, other than to blast his opponent out with wildly telegraped punches. Even with this lack of respect for his opponents skill and his terrible unprofessional approach to the preparation for the fight, from the opening bell it appeared that Hayes belief in himself was justified. All Bellew could do to withstand the onslaught, was to hope against hope that one of Hayes devastating punches did not breakthrough his high held guard, and hope furthermore that Haye would eventually run out of STEEM.

This is not the first time Haye has underestimated opponents, as is evident early in his career against an old Carl Thompson, a fight in which he was highly favoured to win. Haye used the same approach and game plan, or rather lack of, and both times it has failed.

To most watching, it seemed just a matter of time before a haymaker would land. To most watching, the fight appeared to be a mismatch, but an unexpected turn of events in the sixth round saw David Haye rupture his Achilles. The repercussions of this injury where immediately visible as Haye became very unstable on his feet, at times needing to use the ropes as an aid to stay upright, leaving him almost without an offense and a very limited defense, but even with these depleted capabilities, it still took Tony Bellew 5 rounds to finish the Hayemaker.

Since the first fight Haye has underwent surgery on his Achilles and his biceps. His vibe for this fight is of a more serious and focused nature. He believes that he must win this fight in order for his career to continue, and for this reason we will see a completely different David Haye than the last time around.

The first fight was Tony Bellew's first time campaigning at heavyweight... and it showed. He was unable to compete with Hayes physical strength and his punches seemed to have no effect on Hayes chin even when they landed flush. This time around, Bellew should have acclimatised to the weight and should be stronger and more capable of taking punishment while also dishing it out.

The Rematch

Barring another unforeseen injury, or act of god, I see Haye being much more controlled in this fight, taking his time and picking his punches, eventually winning by knockout in the mid to late rounds.

Personally I don't really have a preference as to which fighter wins the fight, I just hope it's entertaining and exciting. In terms of the heavyweight division, it's more important that Haye wins, because his power and speed can be a danger to the likes of Wilder, Joshua and Fury, whereas Bellew will never be a real challenge to the big names in the division, but with boxing you never know what's in store and that is part of its beauty, the unexpected can and on occasion does happen.

The referee is ready. The judges are ready, and the fighters are in the ring, and now, fight fans...

💥are💥

...

💥you💥

...

💥readyyyyy.💥

Until next time, keep Steemin, and keep well.

Wow, I was way off the mark on this one, so far off, that I feel that Tony Bellew is owed an apology. Sorry for doubting you Tony and congrats on a great win and good fight.