By Edward Chaykovsky
According to Eddie Hearn, who promotes WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew (29-2-1, 19 KOs), the Liverpool fighter is not going to retire and is fully expected to fight again this year.
On March 4 at the O2 Arena in London, Bellew pulled off an early candidate for 'upset of the year' when he moved up to heavyweight to stop former two division world champion David Haye in the eleventh round.
It remains to be seen if a rematch can happen next, because Haye suffered a torn Achilles in the sixth round and recently underwent surgery. The recovery time will take at least six to nine months, which in the best case scenario would see Haye return in the fall.
There are numerous options for Bellew, after that big win, and Hearn is planning to present all of them to his fighter.
There is the option of moving back to cruiserweight to defend his title. Heavyweight champions like Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker are interested in fighting Bellew. And of course Haye is pushing for a rematch and that contest would once again do great numbers due to the controversy of the first fight.
If Hugh Fury is able to knock off Parker on May 6, he would also be interested in getting Bellew in the ring.
"We're going to fight this year, 100 percent," said Hearn. "Like Tony [Bellew] said, the decision will be made by him and his family and it's my job to present the opportunities to him. I believe the Haye rematch will be one of those opportunities.
"Part of Tony Bellew wanted to beat him fully fit. There are some unanswered questions. It was an epic event, it was a thrilling fight but the Haye rematch certainly remains one of the biggest fights out there for both guys.
"For Haye the only fight out there is the Tony Bellew rematch. For Tony there's the Haye rematch, there's Joseph Parker, there's Deontay Wilder, there's Tyson Fury, there's plenty of options."
