Back in March, Tony Bellew (29-2-1, 19 KOs) took a tremendous risk when he walked away from the WBC cruiserweight title to make a leap to the heavyweight division for a fight with former division champion David Haye.
Many expected Haye to blow him out in the early rounds.
The opposite happened. Bellew weathered the storm of the early rounds and was never in trouble. Once Haye suffered a ruptured Achilles during the fight, Bellew completely took over the contest and eventually stopped Haye in the eleventh.
In the weeks leading up to the fight, there was a lot of trash talking between the two boxers.
But Bellew feels that the London fighter crossed the line by promising to cause permanent brain damage and vowing to send Bellew out of the ring unconscious on a stretcher.
Those comments still anger Bellew, who regrets a post-fight embrace with Haye.
"I’m still disgusted by his comments and I regret embracing him at the end. But I embraced him because, you have to remember, this man had just helped secure my children’s future. And that’s the first thing that went through my mind after I beat him," Bellew told Daily Mail.
"I didn’t think about what he’d said or what he’d done. If I thought back to what he’d said, I’d have probably hit him again. I still think he’s a cast iron assh*le. I don’t think he’s a nice fella but it took two of us to get it right."
Bellew wants to fight again by the end of the year. There are serious discussions about the possibility of a rematch with Haye, but what Bellew would really love to do is fight for the heavyweight title - preferably against WBO champion Joseph Parker.
"I could happily walk away tomorrow and say enough is enough. My body has been damaged enough times. I have broken my hand six times, I have had 18 stitches over something in my eyes after fights, cuts, and I’ve cracked ribs, detached floating ribs. I’ve had a lot of injuries from boxing and can my body take much more? Probably not," Bellew said.
"Do I want to take much more? The thought of being heavyweight champ drives me, it really does. So I’m still going to the gym, I’m still pushing myself really hard. That lets me know I’ve still got a lot left to give."