WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew celebrated the first defense of his title by calling on UK rival David Haye to agree on a massive fight on pay-per-view next year.
The 33-year-old dispatched American BJ Flores with minimal fuss at the Echo Arena. It immediately turned his attention to Haye, whom the Liverpool man is willing to face at the higher heavyweight limit.
Tony Bellew wants David Haye
Bellew told Sky Sports News HQ: “If you don’t want to return to your old weight, no problem – you might be scared to return to your old weight – but I’ll happily step up. I enjoy my food, and I will enjoy punching him in the face.
“Going up is not an issue. I have a good team around me, we will make the sacrifices, and the things that need to be done will be done. Eddie will come up with that and help deal with it. But it’s not an issue.”
“I’m about big fights, mega-fights, and if it’s not him, it’s got to be a unification fight. It’s as simple as that,” he said.
Cruiserweight champion
“I’m not waiting around for David Haye. He is not the be-all and end-all of my career. I am the best cruiserweight in the world. I am the WBC cruiserweight champion. He is just a man who talks about fights, then fights absolute clowns, and does nothing in the meantime.
“We all know the name I’ve given from Bermondsey, and we will see. I am happy to do it whenever he is ready, it doesn’t bother me whatsoever, but he has to commit to something because right now, he’s committing to nothing.”
According to Bellew, Haye has now canceled plans to fight at the Principality Stadium in Wales (formerly the Millenium Stadium) on December 10, possibly after hearing promoter Eddie Hearn’s plans to stage Anthony Joshua v Wladimir Klitschko in Manchester on the same night.
“I’m told he has just canceled the Millennium Stadium. Listen, you couldn’t fill the O2, so you have no hope in this world of filling the Millennium. It would be best if you had a dance partner and the dance partner is right here waiting to punch you in the face,” said ‘The Bomber’ – bluntly.
