The 33 year-old Tony Bellew, stepping up to heavyweight for the first time, bids to shock former two-weight world champion David Haye and the Londoner’s charge towards a possible world title fight against Anthony Joshua or Wladimir Klitschko.
Speaking at Thursday’s final press conference, Bellew said: "It’s nearly time to rock ‘n’ roll. The main thing is; no excuses. There’s a reason you’ve all heard about injuries. We all get sore, we all get bumps. This is brutal. The camps are hard, and long. So no excuses – I don’t want to hear any," he stated.
"You’ll see the end of Hayemaker 2.0 and the start of Hayemaker 3.0 – it’s like the Die Hard movies over here. I hope, once the going gets tough, he sticks with it. I would hate for him to say, ‘I’ve had enough’ because that’s bad for the fans. I haven’t got that in me. I’ve shown I can follow a game-plan. I will execute my game-plan, and I hope he’s willing to go as far as I am."
On his gameplan for the fight, ‘The Bomber’ added: "Hit and not get hit, that’s what I’ll try and do. I don’t enjoy getting punched, and I have no intention of getting whacked. The dream is to get the job done with minimal damage to myself. Just a win. This is the first time in five years David has fought someone who punches back. It will be a hard fight for five rounds then we’ll see a shift in the pattern. I am not a punchbag. I am a world champion," pointed out Bellew.
Haye remains a huge favorite to overcome Bellew and push on to fight for a world title after injury rumors were dispelled as nothing more than red herrings by the 36 year-old this week.
