Boxing: David Haye says defeating Tony Bellew will lead to Muhammad Ali-style comeback

David Haye insisted that the destruction of rival Tony Bellew in London on May 5 would be the barometer of whether he deserved a showdown with Anthony Joshua and compared that match-up to Muhammad Ali coming back to fight George Foreman in Zaire in 1974.

Haye meets Bellew in a rematch at the 02 Arena 14 months after rupturing his Achilles during their first meeting, a dramatic fight stopped in the 11th round with Haye unable to stand, having fought five rounds with the injury.

“If I go and punch holes in Bellew, people might start thinking ‘OK, he’s back’,” said former world heavyweight champion Haye, as the two men came face to face 10 weeks out from their second fight.

“I would be a huge, huge underdog going into that fight against Joshua, I’m aware of that,” said Haye. “He is 10 years younger, taller and heavier and I’m coming off a couple of injuries. For me, it’s like Muhammad Ali fighting George Foreman. Ali was coming off two losses against Ken Norton and Joe Frazier but Foreman knocked them both out.

“They said Ali was old and finished, allegedly past his prime and everyone was worrying for his health. But he somehow turned the tables. Even when he was past his prime, he beat the monster that was George Foreman.”

But Haye admitted that he would not be worthy of the fight he craves against International Boxing Federation and World Boxing Association champion Joshua unless he looks “convincing and destructive” against Bellew.

“It would be the two highest-profile boxers in the country – me and Joshua – and beating Bellew starts changing things,” added Haye Bellew had one response to Haye: “He’s nuts. He’s deluded.”

Haye admitted that he “had been humbled” by Bellew in their first fight, having told the Liverpudlian in the build-up to the March 2017 fight that he would be “sent to hospital and that he would never box again”.

“Utter rubbish,” said Bellew. “David Haye is about as humble as Madonna. He has been mollycoddled all his career, while I have had to do everything the hard way. He had easy, hand-picked opponents, he fought two hard contests, Jean Marc Mormeck for the cruiserweight titles, and he is still fighting only for the money. He just wants to fight Joshua because it represents the biggest payday.”

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Bellew, on the other hand, said that he “has had to do everything the hard way” and revealed that “after proving that the first victory over Haye was not a fluke” his intention was to end his career by dropping back down to the cruiserweight division to fight the winner of the World boxing Super Series final between Olexandr Usyk and Murat Gassiev, which takes place in Saudi Arabia this summer.

The Usyk-Gassiev contest will unify all the belts in the division.

Bellew, however, holds the World Boxing Council Emeritus title, the WBC having allowed him to move up to heavyweight and return to challenge for the WBC cruiserweight belt at any time. “That would be the perfect way to end my career,” said Bellew. “It has been an incredible journey for me. I remember hearing that British champions could earn 20 grand. I thought that was amazing then. I’ve had great things at the end if my career. All I care about it giving my kids the things I could never have dreamt of.”