Eddie Hearn, the promoter of newly crowned WBC cruiserweight king Tony Bellew, really does feel a massive fight between Bellew and David Haye can happen. Speaking with RingTV.com, the Matchroom boss said he believes Haye – the former undisputed cruiserweight ruler and also a former WBA heavyweight champ and a current heavyweight campaigner – could get his weight down to 210-pounds (the heaviest Bellew wants to fight at, understandably) and that he is looking at the fight taking place in February or March of next year.
Hearn made it clear he feels the fight would be a Box Office, pay-per-view affair on Sky Sports and that Haye – who Hearn says only wants big money fights and is not likely to get a heavyweight title fight any time soon – would get a big payday against Bellew. Bellew wants another big fight, ideally a unification fight, but then it could be Haye after that, Hearn said.
“For Tony, he really wants a high profile name at cruiserweight or a unification fight in September and then he could move on to the Haye fight in February or March of 2017,” Hearn told Ring. “Tony is 33 and the Haye fight is so big financially, compared to other fights out there, that it is something you’ve got to take seriously. You have to remember, he came down to 200 pounds and would probably have preferred to fight at 210 [against Ilunga Makabu in Bellew’s title-winning fight]. Can Haye get down to 210? He probably could, or thereabouts. I can’t see Haye manoeuvring a shot at heavyweight, just yet, and he wants big money fights. He can’t get on Sky Box Office but he can if he fights Bellew.”
There is no doubt the fight would sell – Bellew pulled in around 30,000 fans for the Makabu fight and Haye still fills the O2 Arena in London with relative ease. But next summer and a big outdoor stadium fight would perhaps be a better time and venue for this one, not February or March. Unless Hearn is targeting the O2. Most fans seem to think Haye would be too big and powerful for Bellew, but at 210? Maybe Bellew can do what he says he honestly feels he can do, and that’s knock Haye out.
Bellew arrived as a big player with the crushing KO win over betting favourite Makabu. How big a star would “Bomber” become if he were to become just the second man to KO or halt Haye? Of course, a certain 44-year-old veteran named Shannon Briggs has vowed to beat anyone else to it when it comes to defeating Haye. The two are expected to clash in September time, and Briggs recently promised to KO Haye in a round by way or tribute to the great Muhammad Ali.
If Briggs manages to do this (and, believe it or not, he has some backers who say he can) Bellew will no doubt be cursing the man with the Let’s go, Champ mantra!