Tony Bellew reveals what he told David Haye in the ring after knocking him out
The Bomber faced and defeated Haye for the second time in little over a year, knocking him down on three separate occasions before the referee stopped it in the fifth
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Your support makes all the difference.Tony Bellew has revealed that he told David Haye it's time to call his career to a halt, immediately after he beat him at the O2 on Saturday night.
The 'Bomber' faced and defeated Haye for the second time in little over a year, knocking him down on three separate occasions before the referee decided to step in and stop the fight in the fifth round.
It had been believed that with Haye at 37-years-old and a number of injuries deteriorating his body, a defeat would all-but end his career, though Haye failed to clear up whether he would actually retire or not when asked about his future plans.
"My first words to him when he hugged me. I was emotional, on the canvas. He came over to me and said 'brother, you've done me. Everything was right and you've just beaten me'," Bellew revealed afterwards.
"I said to him 'please, stop'. This is a very unforgiving sport, it is a young man's game for a fighter with the attributes that David Haye relies on. Fighters like Bernard Hopkins and James Toney can go on longer than us, the likes of David Haye because their attributes and style isn't based on reflexes, timing and speed.
"These things decrease as you get older in boxing. Boxing does not favour fighters after they hit 35. He'll always have the punch. He can render any fighter in the world out with one big right hand. He has that in the bank, but he doesn't have the speed and the timing, the explosiveness to get him there. All the attributes that he had over the heavyweights over the years, all the attributes he had over the great cruiserweights he's beaten, he doesn't possess them."
Bellew then admitted that he believes his former rival is the biggest puncher in heavyweight boxing, ranking him above the likes of Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder in terms of pure power.
"I still rate him as the single biggest puncher in the heavyweight division, with that right hand he's got is dangerous. He clipped me on the back of my head and my brain shook. Don't retract or take anything away from David's career, he's an amazing fighter. He'll go down better than I ever will."
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