Although he suffered a major injury in his losing fight with Tony Bellew, David Haye is not talking like a man who is resigned to retirement. Haye, who had to take many months off after undergoing a 2012 career-threatening shoulder op, has now undergone surgery on his torn Achilles tear. But although Haye, 36, seems to be a fighter who has a career in tatters, he insists he will still “carry on my path to become No 1 in the world.”
But Haye is hoping Bellew will not retire, and will instead grant him a rematch. If Haye wins the return, he says he would then grant Bellew a rematch and perhaps engage in a great and memorable trilogy. In speaking with Sky Sports News HQ, Haye spoke of the great boxing trilogies and suggested a three-fight series between him and Bellew could go down as special.
“Not often do you find your nemesis, the guy that in 50 years time people will look back and say, ‘remember the Bellew-Haye days, what crazy fights they were?’ The way people look at Micky Ward-Arturo Gatti, at Roberto Duran- Sugar Ray Leonard, at Joe Frazier-Muhammad Ali. They had such amazing fights, and maybe Tony Bellew would like some of that. After sharing a ring with him, he’s a true warrior like me. He said if he was to win, he’d give me a rematch. Hopefully he’s a man of his word. If the rematch happens and I beat him, I’ll give him a third fight.”
Haye said that if Bellew opts to retire, which he “truly hopes he doesn’t,” he will still, “find a way to challenge for the heavyweight title.”
So which is more realistic – Haye getting a second, maybe even a third fight with Bellew, or of the former WBA heavyweight champ somehow getting another shot at world glory? Nobody, including Haye, knows how long his rehabilitation time will be after his latest operation, but Haye is saying he hopes to be back in action in “six to nine months.”
By that time, Bellew may have either retired or landed himself a world title shot of his own. But Haye is right to suggest how a rematch, even a trilogy, between he and Bellew would have huge fan appeal. The ball is now in Bellew’s court.