Tony Bellew has named David Haye as the hardest-hitting opponent he faced in his career. The former world champion boxer made this revelation in a recent interview with DAZN, despite having been knocked out by Oleksandr Usyk in his final fight.
Bellew's career saw him face some of boxing's biggest punchers. He suffered his first stoppage loss to Adonis Stevenson at light-heavyweight and was knocked out by Usyk in a cruiserweight clash in 2018. Usyk wore Bellew down over eight rounds with constant movement and pressure before landing the finishing blow.
But it's Haye who left the biggest impression on Bellew. In an interview with DAZN, he said:
"Haye was the one who had the most power. I'm certain on that. Stevenson hit me hard, but I was in there that night without much resistance because of the weight struggles. He could certainly punch. I knew Haye's power was going to be a problem from when I sparred him, and he really could bang. There'll be many fighters who fought Haye who'll tell you all about how much power he had."
Bellew's career had many highlights. He won the WBC cruiserweight title at Goodison Park, getting up from an early knockdown to stop Ilunga Makabu. He defended it successfully against BJ Flores before moving up to heavyweight for two fights with Haye.
Haye, known as 'The Hayemaker', was a unified cruiserweight champion before moving up to claim a heavyweight belt. He famously outpointed the 7ft giant Nikolai Valuev for the WBA heavyweight strap in 2009. Haye's power was evident throughout his career, with 26 of his 28 wins coming by knockout.
Bellew and Haye met twice in the ring, with Bellew winning both encounters by stoppage. Haye was dealing with injuries during this period, and the losses to Bellew led to his retirement from the sport.
Despite facing other renowned punchers and being stopped by both Stevenson and Usyk, Bellew maintains that Haye hit the hardest. He credits his experience sparring with Haye for giving him insight into the true extent of Haye's power, suggesting that other fighters who faced Haye would likely agree with his assessment.
