HOLLYWOOD, FLA–The main event of Triller Verzuz lll did not last long. Former UFC Champion Vitor Belfort knocked down Evander Holyfield twice in the first round, then pounced on the former heavyweight champion until referee Sam Burgos called the fight off at 1:49 of round one. The fight headlines at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino

Silva Knocks Out Ortiz in 1!

In a battle of MMA Legends, Anderson Silva stopped Tito Ortiz in the opening round of their eight-round cruiserweight bout.

Ortiz quickly backed Silva into the ropes, knocking Silva from one side of the ring to the other, landing combination after combination until, in true “Spider” style, Silva landed a short right hand that dropped Ortiz at 1:21  of round one and that was the end of the fight.

Carroll Takes Majority Decision over Vences

The second bout of Triller Verzuz lll featured Junior Lightweights Andy “El Tiburon” Vences vs. Jono “King Kong” Carroll. Both men are ranked top ten by the WBA, and both men fought with determination.

After a competitive but even six rounds, the action picked up in round seven after Vences landed a three punch combo to the body of Carroll

Carroll came out strong in round eight, and continued to press the action, but Vences landed some hard shots of his own, and opened a cut on Carroll that caught the attention of the ring doctor between rounds.

Carroll felt the pressure, and came out stronger than ever in round nine which was the most action-packed round of the fight.

The final stanza was fierce and action packed, with both men landing combinations, but the advantage was Carroll’s who took the majority decision with scores 95-95, 97-93, 97-93.

David Haye Decisions Fournier

Former heavyweight and cruiserweight champion David Haye took a eight-round unanimous decision over Joe Fournier in a heavyweight that featured two minute rounds.

In round one Fournier came out strong,  while Haye paced himself. Haye established his jab midway through the round and dropped Fournier with a crisp punch.

Haye led round two with a left hook, and frustrated Fournier throughout the round, but wasn’t putting much power behind his punches.

Fournier came out in round three with aggression, but Haye’s defense prevented any damage.

Rounds four through seven featured more chasing by Fournier, and evading by Haye, who did slip in the occasional jab to let Fournier know he was still there. 

Haye showcased his superior head movement in round eight and managed to evade all of Fournier’s punches.

Final scores: 79-72, 80-71, 79-72 for David “The Haymaker” Haye.

Los Angeles, CA (August 11, 2021) TRILLER has announced three outstanding undercard fights for LEGENDS II set for Saturday, September 11 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA and available for viewing globally on Pay-Per-View. The event is headlined by the return to the squared circle of Boxing Legend, ‘THE GOLDEN BOY’, OSCAR DE LA HOYA battling former UFC Superstar VITOR ‘THE PHENOM’ BELFORT. Just added to LEGENDS II, Former Heavyweight and Cruiserweight World Champion DAVID ‘THE HAYEMAKER’ HAYE will face off against JOE FOURNIER in a scheduled eight-round heavyweight battle.

The first segment of the first ever two-continent, two main event Triller Fight Club Pay-Per-View, geared towards fans in the UK and Europe will start at 3:00 p.m. PT / 11:00 p.m. BST (London Time) with a music concert in addition to featured undercard bouts followed by the HAYE vs. FOURNIER eight-round heavyweight battle and will be priced at £19.99.

Following the Haye vs. Fournier fight, a FREE Pre-View will commence with the main Pay-Per-View priced at $49.99 starting at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT. The $49.99 price includes both segments of the Pay-Per-View.

Triller has sold over 2,500,000 Pay-Per-Views to date and expects to exceed 4,000,000 Pay-Per-Views buys for the year making it the largest league; eclipsing even the UFC who’s deal with ESPN provides $350,000,000 a year for 2.500,000 Pay-Per-Views buys, which Triller has already exceeded this year.

Tickets starting at $75 will On-Sale this Friday, August 13 at 12:00 p.m. PT and may be purchased through AXS.com or at this Ticket Link. Doors will open on the day of the event at 3:00 p.m. with the first bell at 3:15 p.m. local time. The STAPLES Center is located at 1111 S. Figueroa St. in Los Angeles, CA 90015. Very-limited VIP packages as well as Super-Exclusive behind the scenes packages will be available too.

“We will keep shaking shit up until it’s perfect. And given that achieving a perfect show is virtually impossible we will always just be shaking shit up,” said RYAN KAVANAUGH, Co-Founder of Triller.

The evening’s visionary and producer NIGEL LYTHGOE; creator of American idol and “So You Think You Can Dance” has imagined and created the Mexican Independence Day Celebration for LEGENDS II. The event will be hosted by SNOOP DOGG who continues to provide strategic counsel to Triller Fight Club, assisting in the selection of fighters and musical acts for the show-stopping events. He secured his spot as a fan favorite with his entertaining commentary during Triller’s first sporting event, MIKE TYSON vs. ROY JONES JR.

“This isn’t just a boxing match and this isn’t just a concert, it’s a night not to be missed,” said Lythgoe.

Triller’s last show shook up New York City when thousands of people “stormed the gates” at Madison Square Garden trying to get into an already sold out and more than packed house.

Fighting out of London, David ‘The Hayemaker’ Haye is a former unified Cruiserweight World Champion and WBA Heavyweight Champion. With a professional career spanning an acclaimed 16 years he is one of Britain’s most celebrated and successful champions in the modern era.

David Haye and Evander Holyfield are the only boxers in history to have unified the cruiserweight world titles and become Heavyweight World Champions. His illustrious career finished with a record of 28-4-0, 26 of these victories by devastating knockout!

To capture the WBA World Heavyweight Title, ‘The Hayemaker’ closed a record-breaking gap when he defeated Nikolai Valuev who was a colossal 11 inches taller  and 100 lbs. heavier.

 “This is not a comeback, this is about teaching Joe Fournier there are levels to the boxing game,” said David Haye. “One must stay in their lane or risk getting flattened.”

“There are certain things in life you can’t buy, Joe ‘The Billionaire’ Fournier needs to learn that. I was the heavyweight Champion of the World just 10 years ago, I’m only 40. Joe is delusional, Champions are born not bought.”

Joe Fournier has amassed an undefeated record with all of his nine fights ending in spectacular knockout fashion. The billionaire entrepreneur was most recently victorious on April 17, 2021, stopping Andres Londono in the second round at the Triller Fight Club event headlined by Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

“I will shock the world and knockout David Haye,” proclaimed Joe Fournier. “Unquestionably, one of the hardest challenges of my life, but this is the perfect fight at the perfect time for me. Haye is riddled with injuries, ten years past his prime. I was a late starter to this pro boxing game, now I’m coming into my fighting prime. I’m healthy, motivated and ready to prove a point to Haye, that on September 11 I will be victorious.”

Co-featured, UFC Legends, ANDERSON ‘THE SPIDER’ SILVA from Sao Paolo, Brazil and ‘THE HUNTNGTON BEACH BAD BOY’ TITO ORTIZ will clash in an eight-round cruiserweight boxing match for combat sports supremacy.

Silva is a Former UFC Middleweight Champion who holds the record for the longest title reign in the company’s history from 2006 to 2013 (2,457 days). On June 19, 2021, Silva made his professional boxing debut defeating Former Middleweight World Champion and Son of the Legend, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Stated Anderson Silva, “I am very excited to have the opportunity along with my team to get in the ring against Tito Ortiz on September 11th with Triller Fight Club who are really shaking things up in the combat sports world”. Silva is represented by ICM Partners who negotiated this deal.

Among the most popular MMA fighters in history and one of its biggest Pay-Per-View stars, Tito Ortiz held the UFC’s Light Heavyweight Title for over three years. Settling a long feud with Chuck Liddell on November 24, 2018, Ortiz stopped the fellow MMA legend with a first-round knockout in Los Angeles, CA.

“I am excited to be taking on a new challenge and compete against another great fighter in Anderson Silva,” said Tito Ortiz. “As a patriot, fighting on September 11 means a lot to me, so I am grateful to both Triller and Campbell McLaren from Combate Global for giving me this opportunity.”

Additionally, in a highly anticipated 10-rounder, ANDY ‘El TIBURON’ VENCES, (23-2-1, 12 KOs), of San Jose, CA will challenge Ireland’s JONO ‘KING KONG’ CARROLL, (19-2-1, 5 KOs), for the vacant WBC International Silver Super-Featherweight Title.

Vences vs. Carroll was previously scheduled for June 19 in Miami, FL. In addition to continuing their training, both combatants have used the time to engage in a war of words through the media. Fighting for the first time in 2021, the popular, all-action Vences will look to bounce back into the win column following a hard-fought split decision loss to Luis Alberto Vargas on July 7, 2020 in Las Vegas. The always ready-to-rumble road warrior Carroll hits the ring following a fourth-round knockout of Romic Airapetean on March 27, 2021 in Malaga, Spain.

Said Andy Vences, “Fighting September 11th at STAPLES Center on the Triller Fight Club undercard is a huge step forward in my career. Jono Carroll is experienced and comes to fight. Mentally I know what needs to be done and the crowd is in for a show from start to finish. We’ve already had multiple altercations leading up to this fight and there is nothing more for me to do but show him in the ring I’m a stronger, smarter, more disciplined and focused fighter. Come September 11th I will be victorious We are 100% focused on Carroll and what needs to be done!”

“I’ve been training my whole career for these types of fights,“ said Jono Carroll. “I feel like I need to make a huge name for myself in the United States and that’s where I want to win my world title but this is where it all starts. Andy Vences just won’t be able to handle what I’m about to give him, his time is up. The King stays the King!”

LEGENDS II will be broadcast globally on FITE, iNDemand and through all leading Cable, Satellite and Telco Providers in the U.S. and Canada. The suggested PPV retail price is $49.99.

**HOW TO WATCH THE SEPTEMBER 11, 2021, TRILLER PPV EVENT**

TV: Cable, satellite & telco PPV providers, including Xfinity, Spectrum, Contour, Fios, and Optimum (U.S.), among others, as well as leading operators.

Worldwide Streaming: FITE.TV and all FITE mobile, Smart TV, IPTV, game controller and OTT apps as well as the event microsite hub: TrillerFightClub

LEGENDS II is the second event Triller Fight Club has promoted at STAPLES Center, the first being Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. on November 28, 2020. The fight was boxing’s biggest pay-per-view event of the year garnering over 1.6 million buys.

FITE, the world’s premier streaming PPV platform for sports and entertainment recently acquired by TrillerNet, will handle worldwide live pay-per-view streaming distribution online for the September 11 event, and via FITE mobile and Smart TV apps, game controllers and all major OTT devices as well as power TrillerFightClub.com.

iNDemand, the leading transactional video-on-demand and PPV programming provider in North America, will serve as the exclusive U.S. and Canadian cable, satellite, and telco PPV provider for the De La Hoya vs. Belfort fight. Fans will be able to order the event on PPV through their existing cable, satellite, and telco PPV providers across the U.S. and Canada.

About TrillerNet:

FITE and Triller Fight Club are owned by TrillerNet, a first-of-its-kind company consolidating technology and content platforms to lead the move to Internet 3.0. TrillerNet pairs the culture of music with sports, fashion, entertainment and influencers through a 360-degree view of content and technology. TrillerNet—which owns the globally popular Triller app used by musicians, celebrities, athletes, and overall culture setters—has more than 300 million users worldwide. The Triller app—unlike other popular short-video apps it is often compared to, encourages its users to post the content created on the app across other social media platforms and websites. The app uses proprietary AI and Machine Learning technology which is uniquely tied to the content rather than the user. By tracking the content, Triller empowers its tastemakers and users to push their content virally to affiliated and non-affiliated sites and networks reaching hundreds of millions of additional users. Data and insights gleaned from the Triller network, its creators, artists and users (from the app and off network) are used to program longer-form content, connect users across the web with the content, and provide unprecedented opportunities for engagement and monetization. TrillerNet has developed highly successful campaigns that begin with the app and continue throughout the entire content and technology ecosystem with some of the biggest brands in the world, including Pepsi, McDonalds, Weedmaps, DraftKings, L’Oreal, and many others. TrillerNet offers brands a unique content and technology solution, including direct deals with the influencers and celebrities. This branded content journey starts with short-form video and can easily expand into valuable long-form content distributed through the Triller Network, such as live-event boxing and music PPVs, fashion shows, and episodic reality content on TrillerTV. Some of the more than 65 original half-hour TrillerTV shows include The D’Amelios Family’s “Ask a DAM Question,” Jennifer Lopez In The Morning, Jake Paul: Staying On Top, 2 Chainz Let’s Do It, DJ Khaled’s Spreading Love, Hype House’s Thomas Petrou’s Coffee Talks, Josh Richards’ Josh Pong, Ur Lov’d: the Noah Beck Show, Fat Joe’s Masterclass, The Perez Hilton Show, and Violet Benson’s Too Tired To Be Crazy, among others. TrillerNet additionally owns Verzuz, the massive live-stream music platform launched by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland, and Triller Fight Club (www.TrillerFightClub.com), which launched last year with the highly successful Tyson-Jones Fight which shattered digital PPV records. Other holdings include leading AI-powered customer engagement platform Amplify.ai, and FITE, the premier live event and PPV, AVOD, SVOD streaming platform.

This marks the third time that FITE, iNDemand and Triller will have partnered to bring value-packed, world-class PPV events to boxing, music, and entertainment fans. iNDemand also served as the cable, satellite, and telco PPV distributor for Triller Fight Club’s November 2020 Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. event (which landed as the 8th best PPV event of all time), as well as the April 17, 2021 Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren event. FITE handled global digital sales for both events and powered the TysononTriller and TrillerFightClub sites.

Fans outside North America can check the FITE.TV for international pricing.

About FITE:

FITE is the premier global platform for live sports and entertainment offering the industry’s marquee PPV events and SVOD packages with over 5MM registered users. FITE is available worldwide through its iOS and Android mobile apps, Apple TV, Android TV, ROKU, Amazon Fire TV and Huawei apps. In addition, FITE supports Samsung, LG, Cox Contour, Vizio SmartCast™?, Foxxum, Chromecast, PS4, XBOX, ZEASN, Netrange, Vidaa/Hisense, VEWD, Netgem TV, Virgin Media, Comcast’s Xfinity 1 and Xfinity Flex as well as 7,000 models of Smart TVs. Available online at www.FITE.tv. Follow FITE on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

It’s ON.

About iNDemand:

iNDemand is an innovative partnership between three of the leading cable companies in the U.S.—Charter Communications, Comcast Cable, and Cox Communications. iNDemand is a company of trusted content aggregators and licensing experts, with unparalleled technical expertise and long-standing relationships with MVPDs, major sports leagues, Hollywood studios, and other entertainment and sports companies across North America. iNDemand delivers great content to more than 80 million homes and has distribution deals with more than 150 companies. For more information, go to indemand.com.

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DAVID HAYE cannot wait for his ringside seat when the world’s best heavyweight prospects Daniel Dubois and Nathan Gorman clash next month.

Dubois (11-0, 10KOs) and Gorman (16-0, 11 KOs) meet for the vacant British heavyweight title at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday July 13, live on BT Sport.

The Hayemaker is wowed by the domestic heavyweight battle of 2019 and says: “I don’t know which way it goes, perhaps a draw.

“It’s a fight I want to be ringside for because both boxers are young and hungry. They have very different styles that will gel nicely.

“These two fighting is only going to benefit fans.”

Former WBA heavyweight title holder, Haye has watched Gorman train at his gym and was surprised by what he saw, but is blown away by Daniel’s concussive power.

Haye added: “Ricky Hatton has done a great job training Nathan Gorman. You can look at the same opponent like Razvan Cojanu – Gorman won on points, Dubois knocked him out.

“That might be a way to judge the two, but believe me I’ve seen Gorman behind closed doors sparring and he is a real handful.

“He is a lot better than he looks. Aesthetically he is not that pleasing to look at, but the punch output and the left hook is good

“Ricky’s best shot was his left hook to the head and body. He has applied that to Gorman’s style. He moves his head and rolls well.”

Dubois, 21, has gained his reputation by knocking out all but one professional opponent so far.

Haye added: “Dubois can close the show. People expect heavyweights to finish with one man not being able to stand up.

“Frank Bruno built his brand doing that and Lennox put on performances like that.”

Some have questioned why Frank Warren has made the fight so soon in their careers, but Haye insists the Hall of Fame promoter has done the right thing by matching his hopefuls.

Haye told Boxing Social: “People say it is too early for them to fight each other, but Frank Warren made a good point that James DeGale and George Groves fought at a similar stage in their careers.

“Both went on to win world titles after and even though DeGale was the loser on that night he became a two-time world champion.

“It doesn’t mean someone’s career is over particularly when they are so young like these guys. I just think it’s a great fight.

“People want to see fighters taking on each other. We’ve seen plenty of guys ducking and avoiding each other.

“We have two fighters on the same network who want the fight so crack on.”

Tickets for ‘Heavy Duty’ featuring Daniel Dubois v Nathan Gorman for the vacant British Heavyweight Title, plus Olympic silver medallist Joe Joyce v Bryant Jennings are on sale now. The show also features British Middleweight champion Liam Williams who clashes against France’s former European champion Karim Achour for the vacant WBC Silver middleweight crown. Super-flyweight sensation Sunny Edwards meets Mexican Hiram Gallardo for the vacant IBF super-flyweight title. WBO super-featherweight champion Archie Sharp risks his crown against Jordan McCorry. Returning after an impressive debut is Kent bantamweight Dennis McCann. Hamza Sheeraz, Mark Chamberlain, Jake Pettitt, Louie Lynn, Mickey Burke Jr and Florian Marku add to an exciting line up and tickets are available via AXS.com, Eventim and Ticketmaster and are priced as below:

£300 – (Hospitality)
£200 – Floor
£150 – Floor
£100 – Tier/Floor
£75 – Floor/Tier
£50 – Tier
£40 – Tier

By Bart Barry-

Saturday in England undefeated Ukrainian southpaw Oleksandr Usyk defended his trove of cruiserweight world titles – Ring, WBA, IBF, WBC, WBO – from the challenge of England’s Tony Bellew, last seen doubleaxing heavyweight David Haye, by emphatic eighth-round knockout. In these United States the match happened before dark, aficionados’ hour, on DAZN, aficionados’ network, while American casual fightfans reliably watched college football.

What a wonderful secret is Usyk for the longsuffering American aficionado. He has fought but twice in our hemisphere, and once in Inglewood on the undercard of Bernard Hopkins’ unforgettable if entirely forgotten farewell to boxing (a lesson from the B-Hop archive: when a man tirelessly tells you you’ll miss him when he’s gone, you won’t). When last Usyk fought in our hemisphere it was 18 months ago and he won via lopsided decision on HBO, which is to write if anyone watched him and remembered him that person has since endured disappointments enough to’ve lost his memories of Usyk in the strogranoff of former Soviet fighters served by Comrade Pyotr during HBO Boxing’s pominki.

Since then Usyk has fought on afternoons, here in the States, on YouTube streams and apps; the nearest he’s come to slickly produced punchstats and pedantic commentators is when he stepped in the WBSS’ whitelight show before unmanning Murat Gassiev in July to hoist the bestlooking new trophy in sport.

It gets better. There’s nothing cool about Usyk in the way American influencers understand the term. He’s zany and awkward and devoutly religious. He’s more likely to kiss a felled challenger than taunt him. And since he doesn’t cherrypick opponents or fight on terms bent to prohibitive there’s no telling how good or bad he’ll look when the opening bell rings. Then there’s the way he fights. He’s none of countryman Lomachenko’s pizzazz, especially not to what untrained eyes have yet to try DAZN. He’s more obviously awkward than innovative, which means whenever the American laity eventually catches up with him they’ll unlikely sense the innovation of making every man across from him, even the most obdurately orthodox, awkward unto paralysis. Usyk is an acquired taste and American casuals haven’t the palate or patience to acquire tastes, accustomed as they are to forcefeedings.

Round 5:30 PM ET on Saturday Usyk began to study and pull apart Bellew in yet another packed English arena (it would be a surprise and mistake if semifinal rounds of WBSS Season 2 happened in many American venues, large and cultivated as the European fanbase is become, comparatively funereal and hollow as American venues now sound). Usyk did nothing outlandish to Bellew. He respected the Brit’s power from the open. He established the quirky beat ever playing between his temples and fought to it till Bellew made him stop. And Bellew did do that numerous times.

As it should be. Two judges in fact had Bellew ahead many rounds later, and whatever DAZN commentators said about it in English, the Spanish booth had Bellew ahead, too. If Usyk was winning on any honest card it wasn’t by much.

There’s not any way to argue Usyk won round 1. Perhaps Bellew didn’t either. That’s a 10-10 round, then, which is not a scorekeeping impossibility, by the way, no matter how anomalous. Usyk and Bellew fairly well split their first 12 minutes together, however that shook-out on the cards. By the midway point of the match the match was close enough not to care about the decision; if one man didn’t snatch the other’s consciousness he wouldn’t have a sympathetic ear among aficionados when his handlers whined about a robbery afterward, as they’re wont to do.

Usyk heard us thinking that, he did. He next invited Bellew to lefthand city, a place not quite inhospitable as Ray Mercer’s fabled righthand city, but a place in the vicinity nonetheless. On the way there Bellew realized he was fully spent.

That’s what will be lost on American casuals most frequently – the psychology of what Usyk does other cruiserweights. Because Usyk is not ferocious his physicality can be lost on careless eyes. Usyk’s combination of size and relentlessness, though, is unprecedented. Nobody his size moves continually for every minute of every round. There’s a tacit assumption harbored by any man who confronts a man big as Usyk: So long as I don’t get hit flush by this beast there’ll be respites aplenty. But there aren’t. Instead there’s a dancing madman with a belligerent jab that portends a lampswitch left. Standing armslength to that is exhausting for any 200-pounder the world over. It’s why Usyk’s attack evinces no urgency. So long as he’s on his rhythm and jabbing and you’ve ceded centermat, he’s swapping your energy for fatigue, and he knows it and you know it and now you know he knows it. And that is terrible depleting.

Bellew was so beaten so instantly Saturday th’t American casuals will mistake the finale for force, they’ll expect other men Usyk touches with his cross to backsplash like Tony, and when they don’t American casuals will accuse Usyk of deterioration and aficionados of exaggeration. So be it. Usyk doesn’t need the bigoted buffoons of the Mayweather faithful to surpass what expectations he’s set for himself, and if he immediately ascends to heavyweight and fights Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium it will be unwise but lucrative, and it will happen on a Saturday afternoon in the States, blessedly.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

his morning, Wednesday 17TH October 2018, David Haye, in a move that no one will have seen coming has officially signed an exclusive management deal with none other than old foe, Dereck ‘WAR’ Chisora, who will join the Hayemaker boxing stable.

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The duo have also confirmed ‘Del Boy’ is no more. Under Haye’s complete guidance, Derek has overhauled his approach to his professional career. With London his hometown currently proving to be the epicentre of heavyweight boxing, Derek ‘WAR’ Chisora finally means business, this is WAR.

The two share a colourful and well documented history which began on a night of mayhem in Munich back in 2012. Following Dereck’s 1st bid for world honours, which saw him go 12 rounds against Vitali Klitschko, tempers flared at the post fight press conference culminating in a huge brawl between the Haye and Chisora camps. Fists flew, camera tripods were wielded and threats were issued. The torch paper to one of British boxing’s most notable rivalries was well and truly lit.

5 months and a bitter build up later saw the two men standing in opposite corners of the ring in front of a packed out crowd of nearly 40,000 at Upton Park football stadium. Billed as ‘Licensed to Thrill’ the fight did not disappoint. Haye stopped Derek inside of 5 rounds, the beef was squashed and replaced with the type of respect forged between warriors in the heat of battle.

Fast forward 6 years and Haye has now called time on his own professional boxing career during which, he navigated his way to world honours under the Hayemaker banner, a promotional entity of which David is CEO, promoting and co-promoting all of his last 6 Pay-Per-View shows. Haye, still just 38 years old already has proven success as a boxer, promoter and manager.

Derek ‘WAR’ Chisora has been knocking on the door of world titles for many years. When fully fit his cast iron chin and non-stop pressure is a problem for any heavyweight on the planet. Since that night at Upton Park, Chisora has blown hot and cold going 14-4 in his last 18 fights. Of late he has been in some exciting fights, most notably against Dillian Whyte in a fight of the year barn burner at the end of 2016 and most recently against Carlos Takam. The notoriously tough Cameroonian was looking to re-establish his place as a world title challenger following a 10th round controversial stoppage loss against Anthony Joshua. Chisora v Takam took place on July 28TH 2018 and after a slow start Dereck began to find his single shots landing in the middle of the fight. Against the grain of the fight Chisora landed a brutal right hand in the 8th round which sent Takam to the floor, the home crowd erupted in support for the London man. Takam managed to rise only for Derek send him immediately back to the canvas with a similar punch signalling the end of the fight, 2 rounds quicker than AJ had done it. With a new found focus and dedication Dereck is gearing up for another world title bid and believes that Haye is the man to guide him over the line stating,

‘He is one of very few managers who has themselves won world titles, he knows what it is like to step in the ring putting everything, including your life, on the line. I am at a point in my career I know I cannot afford to make mistakes. ‘Del Boy’ is no more, I am not playing, I am not cutting corners or looking for the short cuts, I have realised I need to live the life of a professional if I am to achieve what I know I am capable of… there will be no more late nights partying, drinking, getting distracted by stuff that will simply move me away from my dream. David has already built on my existing team of Don Charles and John Ramos bringing in the best in the field of S&C, nutrition and rehabilitation to support them. To all heavyweights out there who think Derek Chisora has had his time, missed his moment, you’re wrong, this is just the beginning, this is WAR.”

Haye expanded;

‘Derek is an immense talent, a true warrior. His most recent win again Carlos Takam sent shock waves around the boxing community – myself included – and a stark message to his fellow heavyweights. When Derek is focused, when he gets the work done and has the infrastructure around him he requires to perform he is not a boxer you can under estimate. Derek is dangerous and after a professional career spanning over a decade he is looking to scale the heights of the division, capturing world titles and I am looking forward to helping him achieve this”

This newly formed alliance could never had been anticipated, but is set to facilitate fight nights to get fans excited. Derek ‘WAR’ Chisora means business.

Tony Bellew scored his 2nd knockout over David Haye in the last 14 months as the former star of “Creed” scored a 5th round stoppage in a battle of world champions at the O2 Arena in London.

Haye came out Early and landed a couple of right hands.  After that it was all Bellew in a big way, as in round three, Bellew scored two monstrous knockdowns.  the 1st one came from a huge counter right hand.  Moments later, it was a smashing left hook to the jaw that sent “The Hayemaker” to the canvas.

Bellew continued to dominate, and in round five, Bellew landed another head turning left hook that sent Haye to the deck for a third time.  Bellew ended the fight by landed two hard punches on the ropes, and the bout was stopped at 2:14.

Bellew of Liverpool is now 30-2-1 with 20 knockouts.  Haye of London is 28-4.

John Ryder stopped Jamie Cox in round two of their scheduled twelve-round super middleweight bout.

Ryder landed a right to head that Cox went down after a delayed reaction.  Cox got up just as referee Ian-John Lewis reached the count of 10 and the bout was called at 50 seconds in round 2.

Ryder of Islington is now 26-4 with 14 knockouts.  Cox of Swindon is 25-2.

Emmanuel Rodriguez won the IBF Bantamweight title with a 12 round domination of Paul Butler.

In round one, Rodriguez landed a perfect left hook that deposited Butler on the canvas.  Seconds later it was a flurry of shots to the head that put Butler down again.  In round three, Butler began to bleed from the nose.

Rodriguez coasted home by boxing and moving for which Butler had no answer for the skilled Rodriguez.

Butler was ineligible to win the vacant title as he checked in 3 1/2 pounds over the 118 pound limit.

Rodriguez of Puerto Rico won by scores of 120-106 twice and 118-108, and is now 18-0.  Butler Ellesmere Port is 26-2.

2016 Olympic Silver Medal Winner, Joe Joyce stopped Lenroy Thomas in round 2 of their scheduled 12-round heavyweight bout.

At the end of round one, Joyce landed a left to the body that sent Thomas down at the bell.  In round two, Joyce landed two crushing rights rights that sent Thomas down.  Joyce ended things with a flush left hook to chin that sent Thomas slowly to his knees.  Thomas did not beat the 10 count, and the bout was stopped at 2:36.

Joyce of Putney is 4-0 with 4 knockouts.  Thomas of Jamaica is 22-5-1.

Joshua Buatsi remained perfect by stopping Stephane Cuevas in round five of a scheduled eight-round light heavyweight bout.

Buatsi dominated the fight and then landed a huge combination that hurt Cuevas at 50 seconds of round five.

Buatsi, 178.4 lbs of Croydon is now 6-0 with 4 knockouts.  Cuevas, 175 lbs of Toulouse, France is 8-2-3.

James Tennyson survived a 2nd round knockdown, and came back to defeat previously undefeated Martin J Ward via 5th round stoppage in a terrific action super featherweight bout.

In round two, Ward dropped Tennyson with a crunching left hook to the body.  In round three, Tennyson started to bleed from his nose.

The tide turned in round four when Tennyson hurt Ward, and round five, Tennyson landed a big 3 punch combination that sent Ward to the canvas.  Moments later, Tennyson landed a flush uppercut that sent Ward Sprawling to the canvas, and the bout was stopped at 2:24.

Tennyson of Dublin is now 22-2 with 18 knockouts.  Ward of Brentwood is now 19-1-2.

Follow All the action as former world champions, Tony Bellew and David Haye meet in a heavyweight rematch.  The show begins at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT / 6 PM UK time with a 5 fight undercard featuring the IBF Bantamweight title bout between Paul Butler and Emmanuel Rodriguez.  Also 2 more title fights as Martin J Ward Battles James Tennyson for the EBU, Commonwealth and WBA International Super Featherweight title and a Commonwealth Heavyweight title bout between 2016 Olympic Silver Medal Winner Joe Joyce and Lenroy Thomas.

NO BROWSER REFRESH NEEDED.  THE PAGE WILL UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY 

Round 1: Jab from Haye..Good jab from bellew..Right hand..Good right from Haye

Round 2  Right from Bellew..Combination from Haye..Right to body..Right..Right from Bellew

Round 3 Right from Haye..Body shot from bellew…HUGE COUNTER RIGHT AND DOWN GOES HAYE…BIG LEFT HOOK AND DOWN GOES HAYE AGAIN

Round 4 Big right from Bellew..2 huge rights.Big right..Right from Haye…

Round 5 Combination from Haye..BIG RIGHT AND DOWN GOES HAYE..BIG RIGHT AND LEFT ON THE ROPES AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

Round 1 Right from Ryder..Working on the inside..Body shot from Cox

Round 2 BIG RIGHT TO THE HEAD AND DOWN GOES COX.  HE GETS UP AT 10 AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

Round 1: Good body shot from Butler..BIG LEFT HOOK AND DOWN GOES BUTLER..BIG COMBINATION AND DOWN GOES BUTLER..Good uppercut

Round 2 Butler lands a combination..jab from Rodriguez..Right Hand..

Round 3 Butler lands a right to the body..Rodriguez lands a right..Combination..Blood from the nose of Butler..Right from Rodriguez

Round 4 Combination from Rodriguez..Right drives Butler off-balance..right over the top

Round 5 Butler lands a combination to the body..Jab from Rodriguez..Good jab

Round 6 Jab from Rodriguez..Good left hook..Good right hurts Butler

Round 7 Body shot from Butler..Right from Rodriguez..1-2 from Rodriguez..Right hand..Jab..Right from Butler

Round 8  Left from Rodriguez…Butler lands a jab

Round 9  Uppercut from Rodriguez..

Round 10 Body shot from Rodriguez..Swelling around the right eye of Butler

Round 11 Rodriguez jabbing and moving..coasting

Round 12 Body shot from Rodriguez

120-106 twice and 118-108 for RODRIGUEZ

Round 1 Thomas lands a left to the body..Combination from Joyce…Good body shot..Big right..RIGHT AND LEFT TO BODY AND DOWN GOES THOMAS AT THE BELL

Round 2 Left from Joyce..BIG COMBINATION AND 2 CRUSH RIGHTS..DOWN GOES THOMAS…Joyce lands 9 heavy..Body and head shots..2 good body shots from Thomas..LEFT TO THE CHIN AND DOWN GOES THOMAS..HE DOES NOT BEAT THE COUNT..FIGHT IS OVER

Round 1: Good body shot from Buatsi..Left to the body..Right to body..another body shot..Jab..left to body

Round 2 Left hook from Buatsi..Double jab..3 punch combination that ended with a body shot..Right from Cuevas..Left..Good right from Buatsi

Round 3 Nice left hook/right hand from Cuevas..Good right hook..Left hook drives Cuevas to the ropes..@ good rights..Uppercut and left to body

Round 4 Cuevas lands an uppercut on inside..Good right from Buatsi..Short right hand counter from Cuevas..Long right from Buatsi

Round 5 Buatsi LANDS A BIG COMBINATION,,CUEVAS IS HURT…FIGHT STOPPED

Round 1 Right from Ward..Jab to body

Round 2 Ward lands a left hook..Good body shot..Nice left from Tennyson..Jab from Ward..Left..Good left hook..Body shot..DOWN GOES TENNYSON…

Round 3 Good counter left hook from Ward..3 hard body shots..Tennyson bleeding from the nose. Good uppercut from Ward..4 more body shots..Good left hook from Tennyson snaps Ward’s head back..Counter right..Short uppercut on the inside

Round 4 Ward lands a left to the body..Sharp right..Right from Tennyson..right from Ward..Hard uppercut from Tennyson shakes Ward..Body shot..Good left..Heavy right..Hard jab..Big left at the bell

Round 5 Right to body from Tennyson..Right..Body shot from Ward..HUGE 3 PUNCH COMBINATION AND DOWN GOES WARD..HUGE UPPERCUT AND DOWN GOES WARD AND THE FIGHT IS STOPPED

A an action packed six-bout card is tabbed that includes 3 title bouts

FULL RUNNING ORDER BEGINNING AT 1 PM ET

12 Rounds for the EBU, Commonwelath & WBA Intercontinental Super Featherweight titles
Martin J. Ward (19-0-2, 9 KOs) vs James Tennyson (21-2, 17 KOs)

8 Rounds–Light Heavyweights
Joshua Buatsi (5-0, 3 KOs) vs Stephane Cuevas (8-1-3, 4 KOs)

12 Rounds for the Commonwealth Heavyweight title
Lenroy Thomas (22-4-1, 10 KOs) vs 2016 Olympic Silver Medal winner, Joe Joyce (3-0, 3 KOs)

12 Rounds–IBF Bantamweight World Championship
Paul Butler (26-1, 14 KOs) vs Emmanuel Rodriguez (17-0, 12 KOs)

12 Rounds–Super Middleweights
John Ryder (25-4, 13 KOs) vs Jamie Cox (25-1, 14 KOs)

12 Rounds–Heavyweight Rematch
Tony Bellew (29-2-1, 19 KOs) vs David Haye (28-3, 26 KOs)

The fight card will also be streamed live via KlowdTV on the AWE channel. Visit www.klowdtv.com for additional information.

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, AWE has featured over 50 world title fights.

AWE has brought boxing fans some of the most exciting and controversial bouts, including the matchup of Ricky Burns against Ray Beltran for the world title. AWE fetured live and exclusively the crowning of American Terence Crawford over Ricky Burns. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2017, AWE was the exclusive United States television provider of the first historic matchup between legendary British heavyweight David Haye and Tony Bellew.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment

A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing. AWE is available on over a hundred cable systems, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD, Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD, and DirecTV, ch 387, Frontier Communications ch 169 and 669 in HD, CenturyLink PRISM TV ch. 144 and 1144 in HD, and streaming on DirecTV NOW and KlowdTV. For more information, please visit www.awetv.com

The American broadcast will begin at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT

Bellew weighed in at 210.4 lbs while Haye checked in at 220.2 lbs.

Joshua Buatsi will fight for the sixth time as a pro on the undercard of the Heavyweight rematch between Tony Bellew and David Haye on May 5 at The O2 in London, live on Sky Sports.

Buatsi has raced to 5-0 since turning over in July, ending three of those bouts inside the distance. The Team GB Rio Olympic bronze medal man tastes his first eight-rounder on his third appearance in the Greenwich venue, and the 25 year old talent managed by Anthony Joshua’s AJ BXNG is delighted to be back in action for the third time already in 2018.

“I’m happy to be back on the scene again on the big May 5 show,” said Buatsi. It’s my hometown in London which gives me that extra push to put on a display.

“It’ll be another entertaining fight I’m sure, people come with expectations which I can hopefully meet and surpass them. As AJ calls The O2 – ‘The Lions Den’ – it’ll be a fantastic atmosphere in there on fight night, I can’t wait to get back in there.”

Buatsi is part of a huge bill in London topped by the second instalment of the Bellew-Haye rivalry.

Paul Butler is looking to regain the IBF World Bantamweight title when he tackles undefeated Emmanuel Rodriguez for the vacant strap while Team GB Olympian Joe Joyce challenges Lenroy Thomas for the Commonwealth Heavyweight title in just his fourth pro fight.

Martin J. Ward defends his European Super-Featherweight title against WBA International champion James Tennyson, there’s a mouth-watering Super-Middleweight showdown between John Ryder and Jamie Cox, while Jordan Gill, Kody Davies and Ruqsana Begum.

Limited tickets for May 5 remain on sale at www.theo2.co.uk

Face value tickets for May 5 are available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ . StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua.

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – April 12, 2018 -Paul Butler gets the chance to become two-time IBF World Bantamweight champion when he tackles undefeated Emmanuel Rodriguez at The O2 in London on May 5, live on AWE-A Wealth of Entertainment.

Butler’s clash with Rodriguez is part of a huge night of action in Greenwich as Heavyweight rivals Tony Bellew and David Haye clash in a hotly-anticipated rematch.

Butler landed the IBF strap in April 2014 by taking it from Stuart Hall in Newcastle before vacating the strap to move down to Super-Flyweight in March 2015 to challenge IBF champion Zolani Tete.

The ‘Baby Faced Assassin’ returned to 118lbs and back into title contention when he comfortably saw off Hall in a rematch in Liverpool in September, and is rated at four in the IBF, one spot behind top-rated Rodriguez.

The unbeaten 25 year old visitor is hotly-rated having raced to 17-0 in the paid ranks with 12 wins inside the distance, a rise all the more impressive following an amateur background that was stunted by a car accident.

Rodriguez’s trip to London is his first outside the Americas since turning pro and his first over the championship distance, and Butler intends to make the trip a miserable one for the Puerto Rican and reclaim his title.

“I’m very excited for this,” said Butler. “It’s the reason we came over to Eddie in the first place, I knew he would deliver the big fights for me. We’re just four weeks away. It’s a big test but I’m confident.

“It’s an honor to contest the IBF title again. I want to win it back then hopefully defend which I didn’t have the chance to do last time.

“It sounded a good idea at the time to vacate but looking back now I should have kept hold of the belt. I should have worked on my strength and conditioning, filled out and defended my title. I’ve definitely got some unfinished business with this – it would be brilliant to go out there and win it again.

“It’s a tougher test the last time I won the title, but I’m up for the challenge. I’ve improved myself. He’s touted to be this next big superstar, but how many of them come over here and get turned on their heads?

“I never used to look at my opponents, but since I’ve linked up with Joe he’s always sending me little clips. He looks a good kid, he likes to work at midrange but in truth I don’t want to say too much about what he does and doesn’t do well.

“I don’t care how big and tough he is – we both have two arms, two legs, he’s from Puerto Rico and I’m from Ellesmere Port so let’s get it on. I can see this being a very good fight, we both like to go body to head, head to body but I’ll come out being the two-time IBF World Bantamweight champion.”

Super-Middleweights John Ryder and Jamie Cox clash in a crucial clash in the 168lbs division and Martin J. Ward defends his European Super-Featherweight title against James Tennyson.

Expected start time is 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT.

The fight card will also be streamed live via KlowdTV on the AWE channel. Visit www.klowdtv.com for additional information.

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, AWE has featured over 50 world title fights.

AWE has brought boxing fans some of the most exciting and controversial bouts, including the matchup of Ricky Burns against Ray Beltran for the world title. AWE featured live and exclusively the crowning of American Terence Crawford over Ricky Burns. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2017, AWE was the exclusive United States television provider of the first historic matchup between legendary British heavyweight David Haye and Tony Bellew.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment

A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing. AWE is available on over a hundred cable systems, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD, Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD, and DirecTV, ch 387, Frontier Communications ch 169 and 669 in HD, CenturyLink PRISM TV ch. 144 and 1144 in HD, and streaming on DirecTV NOW and KlowdTV. For more information, please visit www.awetv.com

John Ryder and Jamie Cox will clash in a crunch Super-Middleweight battle at The O2 in London on May 5, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Ryder is back in action following his brilliant win over Patrick Nielsen in October inside five rounds, a win that saw ‘The Gorilla’ take the Dane’s number four ranking in the WBA and leap into contention for major title shots.

Cox will be gunning to rob Ryder of that chance and take it for himself as he returns to the ring after challenging George Groves for the WBA World title at the top of the bill that Ryder landed his big win – and both men expect fireworks in a fight that ‘opens doors’ to the winner.

“We’ve been out of the ring the same amount of time, so I’m sure Jamie is just as itching to get back in there as me,” said Ryder. “It’s been a long time coming following my career best win so I’m happy to get back in there in another big fight in my home town.

“There was talk of other fights that we were looking at, but they didn’t come off – that’s boxing. It was about picking the right fight rather than just going in there against anyone. Jamie has a good record and to beat him would hold me in good stead.

“A lot of people were writing me off before the Nielsen fight, I went in there and beat the man that was held in high regard and I beat him in good fashion. It was the best win of my career so far. The pressure was off. I was an away fighter, I just went in there and enjoyed it which was telling on the night. It was a great victory.

“Jamie had some success in the early rounds against George. He made it the fight it was but we all know how good Groves is. It only takes one shot… Just look at both my fight and his fight on the same card. Luckily my punch went to my advantage and he was on the receiving end of a peach.

“He got hit with a body shot, 9 times out of 10 you’ll take them but that one was in the wrong place at the wrong time for him and he couldn’t beat the count.

“I think our styles are geared up for a good fight, it’ll be a real treat for the fans on what’s shaping up to be a quality night of boxing.

“The British Title has evaded me for so long now, it’s a love hate relationship. I’d love to win it but I can’t build my career around the British Title. I’m taking things one fight at a time,

Jamie Cox is my full focus.

“For the winner it opens a lot of doors, the loser it could be curtains potentially. It’s a must win fight for the both of us.”

“I’m looking forward to this one,” said Cox. “Facing Groves was a great experience, I know where I went wrong and I’m ready to prove where I believe I should be.

“I had a couple of weeks off after the last fight then it was time to get back stuck into training. I’m fully back into it now and ready for the next one.

“John put on a great display against Nielsen, it was a grand finish so hats off. Obviously, I didn’t see it at the time but I’ve seen it back since. Fair play to him, he got a big win.

“I’ve always been quite tough to the body. Groves wasn’t hurting me to the head, so I didn’t think he could hurt me to the body. To be fair he landed a great shot, full credit to him. I think George will go on and win the final against Callum Smith.

“John comes across a gentleman. It’s business at the end of the day. I know what he’s about, I’m expecting the best John Ryder. I’m looking forward to mixing it with him. Beating him will put me in a better position and nearer to a World Title shot.

“He’s ranked across a couple of the governing bodies and it’s my goal to become a World Champion. Beating John will open more doors, especially with the tournament finishing soon. It should free up some of the fighters. This fight has come at the perfect time.

“It’s going to be a tough task, he likes to come forward and have a go and I’m always up for the fight. There will be some big shots landed, it’s a great fight for the fans. I’m looking forward to breaking it down the gym with the team and the build up to the fight itself.”

Ryder and Cox clash on a huge night of action in Greenwich as bitter Heavyweight rivals Tony Bellew and David Haye meet in a rematch and Martin J. Ward defends his European Super-Featherweight title against James Tennyson.

Limited tickets for May 5 remain on sale at www.theo2.co.uk

Face value tickets for May 5 are available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ . StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua.

Martin J. Ward will defend his European Super-Featherweight title against James Tennyson – who puts his WBA International belt on the line – at The O2 in London on May 5, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Ward landed the vacant title in style in December in London by stopping Spaniard Juli Giner inside six rounds, adding the strap to his British and Commonwealth as the 26 year old aims to reach the top ticking off the titles as he goes.

Ward’s next obstacle on his way to challenging for World honours is Tennyson, the 24 year old ranked number four in the WBA after landing the International title in June stopping Ryan Doyle in six rounds on home soil and defending that title in half the time against Darren Traynor four months later.

“I’ve gone the traditional route and I’m happy I’ve done that,” said Ward. “I’m proud to be European champion and I think it’s important to defend titles when you win them so this is a good start to 2018 for me after a brilliant year last year.

“I want to progress onto the World stage now. I’ve won everything there is to win and when I beat James, I want to start working towards getting to World-level. I leave the path down to the team but I believe I am ready now and I’ll prove that on May 5.”

“It great to be part of another momentous night of boxing on Sky Sports,” said Tennyson. “Big thanks to Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing for delivering another big opportunity.

“It feels strange to be taking on someone who you admire. Martin is a great champion but I have a great chance to get my hands on that title and I’m grabbing it and coming back across that Irish Sea with another belt.”

Ward and Tennyson clash on a huge night of action in Greenwich as bitter Heavyweight rivals Tony Bellew and David Haye meet in a rematch.

Limited tickets for May 5 remain on sale at www.theo2.co.uk

Tickets for the original December 17 date are still valid for this event. If you require a refund, please contact your point of purchase.

Face value tickets for May 5 are available from http://www.stubhub.co.uk/matchroom-boxing-tickets/ . StubHub is the official ticket partner and marketplace of Matchroom Boxing and Anthony Joshua.

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – March 7, 2018 -On Saturday afternoon, May 5th, AWE is featuring former world champions Tony Bellew and David Haye in one of the most anticipated rematches of all time. The heavyweights will square off in an epic bout that will be carried live and exclusively by AWE, A Wealth of Entertainment, in the United States.

The network announced that it secured the US rights for the fight, which is the sequel to the unforgettable first bout, which took place on March 4, 2017. The rematch will take place at the same 02 Arena in London.

In the first bout, Bellew was able to survive an early onslaught by Haye to score two knockdowns en route to an 11th round stoppage. The first fight can rival any of the Rocky movies for drama and determination. Bellew suffered a broken hand in the early rounds with Haye barely able to stand due to a ruptured Achilles tendon. Both fighters exhibited tremendous heart, leading to much excitement heading into this rematch.

The rematch was originally ticketed for last December 17th but had to be postponed after Haye tore a bicep.

“We’re ecstatic to be bringing this epic rematch to AWE viewers,” stated Charles Herring, president of AWE. “This fight has broad appeal because the first bout, which aired on AWE, was one of the most amazing fights in 2017. It had a true “Rocky” feel, with Haye challenged by his injury. Bellew has broad appeal in the United States due to his appearance in the movie Creed. Boxing fans love heavyweights for their explosive power and exciting matches, and the winner should be in a position for a shot at a world title bout.”

Bellew, of Liverpool, has a record of 29-2-1 with 19 knockouts and is the former WBC Cruiserweight champion. The 35-year-old is an 11-year professional who has big wins over Edison Miranda, Isaac Chilemba, Valery Brudov, Julio Cesar Dos Santos, Marteusz Masternack, and former world champion Nathan Cleverly. Bellew won the WBC Cruiserweight title with a 3rd round stoppage over Ilunga Makabu. He defended the crown once with a 3rd round stoppage over BJ Flores before he moved up to heavyweight for the historic Haye bout.

Haye, of London, has a record of 28-3 with 26 knockouts. He is the former WBA, WBO, and WBC Cruiserweight champion, and the former WBA Heavyweight champion. The 37-year-old Haye is a 16-year proven professional who has wins over former world title challenger Alexander Gurov, and former world champions Arthur Williams and Giacobbe Fragomeni. Haye won the WBA and WBC Cruiserweight title with a 7th round stoppage over JeanMarc Mormeck. He added the WBO belt with a 2 round destruction of Enzo Maccarinelli. Haye won the WBA Heavyweight championship with a 12-round majority decision over Nikolay Valuev. Haye made defenses against John Ruiz and countryman Audley Harrison before being dethroned by Wladimir Klitscko.

The time of the event will be announced shortly.

The fight card will also be streamed live via KlowdTV on the AWE channel. Visit www.klowdtv.com for additional information.

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, AWE has featured over 50 world title fights.

AWE has brought boxing fans some of the most exciting and controversial bouts, including the matchup of Ricky Burns against Ray Beltran for the world title. AWE featured live and exclusively the crowning of American Terence Crawford over Ricky Burns. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2017, AWE was the exclusive United States television provider of the first historic matchup between legendary British heavyweight David Haye and Tony Bellew.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment

A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing. AWE is available on over a hundred cable systems, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD, Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD, and DirecTV, ch 387, Frontier Communications ch 169 and 669 in HD, CenturyLink PRISM TV ch. 144 and 1144 in HD, and streaming on DirecTV NOW and KlowdTV. For more information, please visit www.awetv.com

Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing are delighted to announce a radio broadcast deal with talkSPORT for SEVEN huge fight nights – including Anthony Joshua MBE’s World Heavyweight unification battle with Joseph Parker.

The deal begins on Saturday night as unbeaten Cruiserweight talents Lawrence Okolie and Isaac Chamberlain settle their ‘British Beef’ at The O2.

Next up, Kell Brook makes his debut at Super-Welterweight in Sheffield on March 3 against Sergey Rabchenko and a week later, Scott Quigg aims to become a two-weight World champion as he challenges Oscar Valdez for the WBO Featherweight crown in Los Angeles.

Heavyweight boxing is the focus in a huge fortnight of action at the end of March, starting at The O2 on March 24 where Dillian Whyte defends his WBC Silver title against Lucas Browne before Cardiff takes centre-stage as Anthony Joshua MBE and Joseph Parker clash in a huge unification battle.

Amir Khan returns to action for the first time since May 2016 as he meets Phil Lo Greco at the Echo Arena in Liverpool on April 21, and then Tony Bellew and David Haye renew hostilities at The O2 on May 5.

Liam Fisher, National Radio controller at talkSPORT, said: “Another day and more mouth-watering boxing rights for talkSPORT. Our team of pundits will be there for a host of exciting clashes as talkSPORT cements its place as radio’s home of boxing.”

Eddie Hearn said: “Fights don’t get much bigger than this and I’m delighted that we have talkSPORT, the world’s biggest sports radio station, to broadcast all the drama. There’s nothing quite like two titans meeting in the ring and this will be one not to miss.”

The much-anticipated rematch between Tony Bellew and David Haye will take place on Saturday May 5 at The O2, London, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Haye and Bellew were set to renew hostilities on December 17, however the fight was postponed after David Haye injured his bicep in a freak accident.

Tony Bellew commented “I’m pleased to get a new date in the diary and I look forward to giving boxing fans a great night on May 5. To be honest I was looking forward to a great victory in December and a relaxing family break over Xmas but my mind is still very much on this fight and I will punish him for that.

I now have a very clear plan for 2018 and that is to knock out David Haye and then knock out Tyson ‘Stavros Flatley’ Fury and end both their careers but first things first I need to rid the sport of David Haye on May 5 and I look forward to doing this in what I believe will be an explosive fight.”

David Haye commented: “I’m thrilled to confirm that The Rematch between myself and Tony Bellew will take place on May 5, returning to The O2.

Whilst the first chapter of the Haye Bellew saga didn’t go my way, fans were left on the edge of their seats throughout the thrilling eleven round battle. The Rematch in May will no doubt eclipse this, Tony has boasted that The Rematch gives him the opportunity to force me into retirement. Unquestionably, I step into the ring on May 5 with both my career and legacy on the line.

After my freak accident down a stairwell last month I was heartbroken not to give everyone the ending to 2017 I wanted. Since then I had to accept the cards I had been dealt, remain positive and focus on factors which are within my control; rehabilitation and rescheduling the fight.

Over the past five years, I’ve had a number of challenges to overcome, but learnt often during times of adversity we learn and grow. As a result, come May, Tony will be faced with a more experienced and more determined opponent.

On May 5, whether you are lucky enough to witness the showcase live, or tune in from home on Sky Box Office, you will not be disappointed. I will give fans the ending I have promised.

In 2018 the Hayemaker will be back and I will once again give fans the biggest, most explosive, blockbuster fight nights they deserve”

Tickets for the original December 17 date are still valid for this event. If you require a refund, please contact your point of purchase.

Any returned tickets will be returned on general sale via www.theO2.co.uk on Thursday December 14 at midday

David Haye has been forced out of the rematch with Tony Bellew after injuring his bicep in freak accident.

Haye and Bellew were set to renew hostilities again at The O2 in London on December 17 following their rollercoaster first meeting in March won by Bellew, but the two teams will now work towards a new date for the rematch early in 2018, with news on that to come this week.

“I am devastated to announce my much-anticipated rematch against Tony Bellew has been postponed until March 24 or May 5, subject to scheduling,” said Haye. “Despite the recent injury rumours, I was in perfect condition with an incredibly strong training camp, currently weighing lighter than I have for more than five years, I couldn’t wait to get back in the ring. I was ready to rewrite the ending of the Haye Bellew saga.

“Unfortunately, after a freak accident during a stair conditioning session, which I’ve done with no incident hundreds of times, I lost my footing, slipped, so instinctively grabbed the bannister to stop myself toppling down the stairwell, in doing so I somehow managed to damage my bicep in the process. This afternoon I underwent a procedure to repair it, this was pretty straightforward and my doctor and physiotherapist have no doubt that not only will I make a full recovery but will be able to be back in the gym to start my arm rehabilitation in two weeks.

“I would like to apologise to Tony, his family and his training team, as well as all our fans who have been left disappointed. I’ve been solely focussed on this fight and it’s extremely frustrating that I couldn’t finish 2017 with just my ring performance doing the talking. I look forward to getting back to training and into the ring in early 2018 with excitement and determination.”

“I’m gutted that the rematch with David has been postponed, both for myself but more for the fans,” said Bellew. “I’ve had a tough camp with a lot going on in my life but was ready to repeat my win from March.

“I’ll get over this disappointment over Christmas with my family and will be straight back into camp for a new date, it’s a big disappointment but as always I leave my career in the hands of Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing who will get me back in there ASAP.”
All original tickets will be valid for the future date. Fans should visit their point of purchase should they require a refund.

Rocky Fielding and Erik Skoglund clash for the WBC Silver Super-Middleweight title at The O2 in London on Sunday December 17, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Fielding blasted David Brophy away inside a round to add the Commonwealth title to his British strap in Liverpool in September, and at the same venue two weeks earlier, Skoglund gave Callum Smith the toughest test of his career when they clashed in the quarter-finals of the World Boxing Super Series – and both men see the fight as the gateway to World title shots in 2018.

“I thought that I was going to be getting a European level fight next but I this is bigger than that and past that level,” said Fielding.

“Skoglund has just come out of the Super Series and they are all classed as World class fighters, so I am up against a World class operator and whoever wins can go onto a World title next.

“He boxed well against Callum. He’s got a good jab and his movement was good. People had doubts about the weight for him dropping down from Light-Heavyweight but it didn’t look a problem. He’s got a good boxing brain and I know that this is going to be a really tough fight.

“I trained so hard for the Brophy fight and everything paid off. It only went one round but we train for 12 hard rounds, so I’m still feeling fresh and I know that I will be at 100 per cent for this fight. It was a short fight with Brophy but the shots I hit him with were World class shots. When I am feeling at my best I can clip anyone and do damage to anyone, including Skoglund.

“I had nerves for the Brophy fight and that’s the first time since fighting Brian Vera that I’ve felt that. I looked back at my record the other day and all my best performances have come when I’ve felt nervous because it’s a big fight.

“This is the biggest fight of my career now and I know that I’m going to be nervous fighting in a huge fight on a massive bill at The O2 – that fear factor will be back and that will pay off in a tough fight but one I know I am capable of winning.”

“I’m really looking forward to get back in the ring and fighting for the WBC silver belt is a great opportunity to get in position for a world title,” said Skoglund.

“Sadly I fell short in a close fight in the World Boxing Super Series tournament. As I think I should have gone further in that tournament my goal is to become World champion as the tournament moves on, and later on fight the winner. I hope that can lead to a rematch with Callum Smith.

“Fielding is a good opponent who can really punch. I will need to stay sharp and focused all the time, but as long as I can do that, I can’t see him beating me. Everyone has a punchers chance, and that’s the only chance I give Fielding.”

“This is a great fight and a real 50-50 that will put the winner in light for a shot at the World title,” said Fielding’s promoter Eddie Hearn. “Rocky is coming off a brutal first round win against Brophy and Erik gained plenty of fans in a very competitive match up with Callum Smith earlier this year. I’m looking forward to seeing these two clash on a huge night of boxing.”

“It’s great to be working with Matchroom on such a World-class fight,” said Skoglund’s promoter Kalle Sauerland. “Both fighters are coming into the fight a step away from a World title challenge and with the WBC Silver belt at stake emphasizes the importance of the fight even more.”

Fiedling and Skoglund clash on the undercard of the rematch between Heavyweight rivals Tony Bellew and David Haye.

Limited tickets remain on general sale from www.theO2.co.uk and on 0844 856 0202 priced £60, £80, £100, £150, £200, £300 and £500.

Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing are delighted to announce a deal with talkSPORT radio for four huge fight nights – including Anthony Joshua MBE’s World Heavyweight title blockbuster with Kubrat Pulev in Cardiff.

talkSPORT’s deal kicks off in style tomorrow night as they provide live commentary from the Manchester Arena of Anthony Crolla and Ricky Burns’ Lightweight blockbuster, with recent World title challenger Luke Campbell MBE providing expert analysis on a fight that he’ll be looking at the winner as a future foe.

Belfast is next on the schedule as Northern Ireland hosts it’s first ever World title unification bout as hometown star Ryan Burnett puts his IBF Bantamweight title on the line against WBA Super king Zhanat Zhakiyanov on Saturday October 21.

A week later, Cardiff takes centre-stage in the boxing world as the sport’s biggest star Joshua takes on Bulgarian Pulev in front of a record-breaking crowd at Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, with the bumper bill also featuring World title fights for Kal Yafai and Katie Taylor.

Finally, talkSPORT take their position at ringside at The O2 in London for the hotly-anticipated rematch between Tony Bellew and David Haye, as the bitter Heavyweight rivals tangle again on Sunday December 17.

Liam Fisher, National Radio controller, talkSPORT said: “We are hugely excited to be extending our commitment to live sport with these four fights. With World champion Anthony Joshua, David Haye, Tony Bellew and more we have some of the biggest and best fighters on talkSPORT. This complements our 500 live football games on talkSPORT and talkSPORT2 and we promise some heavyweight coverage across the station.”

“I’m delighted to team up with talkSPORT for four huge fight nights,” said Hearn. “We start in Manchester this weekend with the big England v Scotland clash with Crolla vs. Burns then we are off to Belfast for the World title unification clash between Burnett and Zhakiyanov.

“The end of October sees boxing’s biggest star Joshua return to the ring and we close out the year with the big rematch between Bellew and Haye. Fight fans know where to tune to follow the live action and all the support programming around the fights.”

Following the blockbuster battle between Tony Bellew and David Haye earlier this year, the two nemeses will once again go to war in The Rematch at The O2 on Sunday December 17, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Following a fiery build up, Haye and Bellew met at the Greenwich venue in March this year and served up an explosive encounter which left fans on their edge of their seats. Both fighters went toe to toe for a thrilling 11 round contest. Haye bravely fought on despite fully rupturing his Achilles in the sixth round, Bellew was victorious after Haye’s team eventually threw the towel in.

Without doubt, the night left more questions than it answered. The Rematch is set to finally answer these.

Former Cruiserweight king Bellew has fond memories of fighting on Sunday’s having climbed off the canvas in the opening round to brutally KO Ilunga Makabu in the third round of their WBC World title battle at the home of ‘The Bomber’s’ beloved Everton in May 2016, and the Liverpool ace is confident he can repeat his performance earlier in the year.

“I will have the exact same attitude I had going into the first fight – win at all costs,” said Bellew. “I will be victorious on December 17 and I will end David Haye’s career. Another loss to me closes the curtain on the Hayemaker.

“This isn’t personal anymore, it’s strictly business. This is just another fight. My world has been put into perspective in the last four weeks, it’s been the toughest four weeks of my family’s lives and I will dedicate my victory on December 17 to my late brother-in-law.

“He knows how the first fight went, after five rounds I had him 3-2 up, my plan was never to start strong as David is a front-runner. He’s dangerous early but he tires quickly and he doesn’t get stronger down the stretch.

“He’s another year old, the body is more worn and he won’t be able to live with a younger, fresher and more active fighter, he just can’t sustain the tempo and pace once we go past three or four rounds.

“It’s a very dangerous fight but I am looking forward to it. I love The O2 and I wanted the fight to be there. I call the shots this time.”

After seven months of intensive rehabilitation, two-weight World champion David “The Hayemaker” Haye is looking to wreak revenge on Bellew and prove to any doubters that he is still one of the most dangerous Heavyweights on the planet.

David Haye said: “I’m excited to give the public The Rematch they truly crave, ever since the explosive first showdown earlier this year. On March 4, the script was thrown out the window and the unpredictability of sport revealed itself in its most raw form. Without question ‘The Bomber’ showed great heart, grit and determination to weather the early storm. Credit to him, that he’s willing to step back into the lion’s den and do it all over again.
“He somehow won the lottery in our first fight, but believe me, he won’t win the lottery twice.

“I’ve been training every day for over six months. I already feel fitter, stronger and more athletic than I did for our first showdown! On December 17, I will relish the opportunity to re-write the ending of the Haye Bellew story.”

Bellew’s promoter Eddie Hearn said: “I’m delighted to get this one over the line and give the fans the rematch they want to see. Tony had plenty of options on the table but this was the biggest fight out there and one he wants to end once and for all.

“Tony has continuously been written off through his career and has now become a real fans favourite for always putting it on the line. Many felt the first fight was a miss match, now you know this a pick ‘em fight – if you thought the first one was dramatic then buckle up for December 17.”

Adam Smith, Head of Boxing at Sky Sports said; “This is one of the most eagerly anticipated clashes in recent times as arch rivals Tony Bellew and David Haye lock horns again in a pre-Christmas cracker!”

“It’s a rematch which should provide everything – a fiery build-up, compelling action mixed with an uncertain, unpredictable outcome. Will Bellew be able to dig that deep a second time and prevail as an underdog again? Can Haye’s body hold up, having shaken off any physical and mental scars to surely come in lighter and faster? It’s the ultimate battle – Repeat or Revenge?

“We cannot wait to provide all the twists and turns in and out of the ring on Sky – enjoy the crazy ride!”

Tickets go on sale on Wednesday October 4 at midday to O2 Priority members at www.theO2.co.uk.

Tickets go on sale on Thursday October 5 at midday to Matchroom Fight Pass members – an announcement on this will be made soon: and the venue and AXS pre-sale before tickets go on general sale at www.theO2.co.uk.

Tickets go on general sale on Friday October 6 at midday from www.theO2.co.uk and on 0844 856 0202.

Tickets are priced £60, £80, £100, £150, £200, £300 and £500. Inner Ringside VIP tickets are priced from £1000, £2000 and £3000.

SAN DIEGO–This past Saturday, Tony Bellew scored a stunning 11th round stoppage over David Haye in a bout that was seen exclusively in the United States on AWE-A Wealth of Entreatment & www.klowdtv.com

The fight was a back and forth war that saw the WBC Cruiserweight champion floor Haye in round six and finish off the injured former two-division champion in the 11th.

The card also the showcased final bout of the championship career of two-division champion Paulie Malignaggi. Malignaggi was stopped in the 8th round by Sam Eggington. Also Irish Olympic hero Katie Taylor stopped Monica Gentili in 3 rounds to raise her record to 3-0.

Those fights topped a five hour broadcast that had thousands of boxing fans viewing the card on AWE and on the internet via www.klowdtv.com.

“This was an amazing show, and that fans turned out. This was our largest audience for any fight card we have had, and between the viewership on AWE and Klowdtv.com was beyond anything we could have imagined. We look forward to April 15th when Ricky Burns and Julius Indongo meet in a super lightweight unification bout. We will continue to put on the highest quality events and we look to appeasing the great boxing fans in the United States, ” Said Charles Herring, President of AWE-A Wealth of Entertainment.

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, and has featured over 50 world class title fight. AWE has earned multiple Boxing Writers Association of America nominations for “Fight of the Year” and has featured over thirty world class boxing events. In 2013, AWE showcased all live bouts featuring heavyweight David Price. AWE aired live the stunning upsets of Tony Thompson over David Price, along with Adonis Stevenson and Tony Bellew cards, who fought each other for the light Heavyweight championship; 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner James DeGale. AWE brought boxing fans two of the most controversial bouts which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2014, AWE televised the crowning of lightweight champion Terence Crawford with his win over Burns as well as the exciting rematches between Carl Frampton and Kiko Martinez along with Tony Bellew defeating Nathan Cleverly. In 2015, AWE brought boxing fans on of the most anticipated rematches of the year, Darleys Perez v. Anthony Crolla II for the WBA Lightweight World Title.

In 2016, AWE was the exclusive American boradcaster of Lucas Browne’s stunning knockout over Ruslan Chagaev to win the WBA Heavyweight title.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment
A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing.AWE is featured on over a hundred cable providers, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD and Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD. For more information, please visit www.awetv.com.

Coming soon:
April 15: Ricky Burns vs Julius Indongo

SAN DIEGO–Below are quotes and pictures from former heavyweight and cruiserweight champion David Haye and current WBC Cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew. Haye and Bellew will meet in a heavyweight grudge match this Saturday from the 02 Arena in London.

The fight card can be seen LIVE in the United States on AWE-A Wealth of Entertainment and for fans who want to see the fight that do not have AWE, they can watch the fight on the AWE channel on www.klowdtv.com beginning at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT

David Haye

“I need to prove to the world that I number one, and I’m a box office star,” said Haye. “The rest of the Heavyweight world will see that if they want mega-dough they need to come to me. People want to see him get destroyed. I will go out there, I will let me hands go, and he will go to sleep very, very quickly.

“I feel better now than I ever have. No-one wanted to fight me in my last two fights. I went through so many names but they didn’t want to know. I got my ranking back from it so it did the job. I don’t think he’s any tougher than the last two guys, I really don’t. Tony is tailor-made for me. If I can construct an opponent to KO easy, I’d say ‘bring me Tony Bellew’.

“It’s a shame for him but the fans will get to see what they want. I hope it doesn’t shock them how brutally he’s going to get knocked out. They’re the ones that have called for it. If it wasn’t for the public demanding the fight, then it wouldn’t be happening.

“People have started to think he’s got a chance – but once the reality dawns of my right-hand landing on his chin, it’s good night. Everyone knows what’s going to happen, he’s getting carried out of the ring. He can hit me clean on the chin with his best shot and he won’t budge me.

“After he won his European title he started screaming and shouting at me, branding me the ‘Bitch from Bermondsey’, which I thought was a bit of banter. I thought he was trying to get a bit of cheap publicity off my name, I didn’t really think he wanted to fight me. Then he had his World title fight, and credit where credit is due, he won that.

“Then he floored a good friend of mine in B.J, who I thought would beat him but for whatever reason, he didn’t. That night he went for me, kicking the advertising in my face and giving me lots of abuse.

“So I thought to myself, OK. I had a look at social media to see what the general vibe was from the fans, and they all loved it. They were saying to me, ‘you’ve got to teach this chump a lesson’, so we made it happen.

“I just don’t think he likes me. Maybe because I’ve achieved more than him. Maybe because I generate a lot of interest, a lot of money, a lot of headlines, and he doesn’t. Maybe he’s jealous of that – that’s probably what it is.”

“He’s a trier,” said Haye. “He comes out and has a go. He doesn’t have a good defence, which is imperative if he’s looking to get out of the first round against me.

“He’s got decent punch power at Cruiserweight. Whether he brings that to Heavyweight, I don’t know. I assume he punches harder though as it would be foolish of me to think he punches worse.

“He has endurance and can fight at a reasonable pace for 12 rounds at Cruiserweight. He’s not got the highest pace but he’s done a few 12 rounders recently. He probably won’t put too much weight on above Cruiserweight in his first fight at Heavyweight, that would be stupid – but he’s a bit of an idiot. He doesn’t really have a nutritionist who knows what he’s doing. If you look at his body shape, you realise he’s not someone that takes diet and nutrition seriously.

“I’ve never really liked his personality. He sounds very passionate until it comes to the crunch, and then he falls apart. If you listen to him before every fight, he always says he’s willing to die in the ring, he’s willing to go further than any other man – blah, blah, blah.

“This fight is basically about how long he can stay awake. Can he leave the ring on his own devices or will he be stretchered from it? Those are the questions people are asking, not if he can win the fight, because I think everyone that knows anything about boxing knows he’s got no chance.”

“I’ve learned the lesson about not being complacent many years ago, about not underestimating my opponents’ abilities. I don’t do that anymore. Whether my opinion of him is that he’s not that good is irrelevant – what is important is the fact that I train the same regardless of who I am fighting, that’s what I do.

“Although I know that I am going to win, I’ve still push myself to the limit in training because it wouldn’t be good preparation for the fight after this – so I have trained like I am fighting for the World Heavyweight title.

“It’s a Heavyweight fight, there’s no benefit in coming in at Cruiserweight. I’m looking at it like I am fighting Anthony Joshua. It makes no difference to me though. I might be heavier; I might be lighter. My weight is never a measuring stick of any kind. I do my measuring by how fast I feel in the ring, my punch evasion, my reaction times and my running times. Recognizing when I am in optimum shape is done in the gym, not on the scales.

“I’m 36 but if you tally up the number of clean punches I’ve taken as a Heavyweight, it’s not many. Most fighters take that in the first round of a fight. My shoulder is rock solid now. I’m happy with how I am. It’s onwards and upwards.”

“Shane has rejuvenated me,” said Haye. “I probably do three or four times as much boxing training as I used to do. In the past, it was a lot more about getting into shape to fight and my skills were what they were, and that was enough.

“Shane understands that I’m a very skilled Heavyweight – probably the most skilled on the planet if you look at punch evasion, if you look at ring generalship, clean punches received – I don’t think there’s another fighter on the planet that can slip shots like me.

“Shane wants me to improve though, he wants more from me. He wants me to be the best that I can be. He’s not sitting on his laurels. He wants me to be even better technically.

“Shane gets this business like nobody I have known. He has brought a young outlook and a youthful enthusiasm to my training and it has rubbed off on me.

“These are things I believe I’ve missed in years gone by. Even when we’re not training, we are still training – in our heads. Even when there is no fight lined up, he still wants to come to work with me and improve me. The fact that he is only 28 is a real bonus.

“He has so much energy to train that he’ll work with me at 7am or at 1am. He is there whenever I need him. He is putting so much time and energy into me and his all-knowing eye is very advanced for a man of his age. His father was an all-time great. And whenever Barry was working as a TV commentator, he would take Shane along.

“He’d watch all the fights at ringside from the first one on the undercard to the main event. He soaked it all up. So he really gets it like no one I’ve ever known.”

A fight that McGuigan wants next for Haye is Joshua. The Olympic gold medal man faces Haye’s old foe Wladimir Klitschko at a sold-out Wembley Stadium in April, and like his trainer and all British fight fans, Haye would love to square up to AJ in a mammoth fight that would bring the country to a standstill and move his closer to his goal.

“That’s the one that gets everyone excited,” said Haye. “He’s got to get past Klitschko first, but Klitschko is 41 now and hasn’t fought for nearly two years. I think it would be a fun fight, me and him. I’d like that and the fans seem to as well.

“He has a big fan base. He started boxing after I was World champion so I’ve got a bit of experience on him; a lot of experience on him. I don’t think he can make up for that.

“He has the physical advantage over me in size, and probably strength, and he’s ten years younger. So he’s got those in his favour. I think it’ll come down to boxing skills and experience. I don’t think he can make up for that. Although he’s a tremendous physical specimen, it comes down to punch evasion, what happens when I hit him on the chin, how does he react?

“When he has got caught, the one time Dillian Whyte hit him, he looks very shaky. And since that punch he’s purposefully not been in the ring with anyone that fights back. That’s not going to help him against me.

“In the time I’ve been away Anthony had his Olympic gold, his whole Heavyweight run to becoming a champion and racked up a string of knockouts. In that time, he’s introduced a lot of non-boxing fans to boxing and these people think he’s the best thing since sliced bread. It’s great that he’s got this young following.

“My fans are a bit older, a bit more seasoned, they’re not as impressed by him as he’s not fought anyone that punches back. I’d like to get in the ring with him and prove who is the best in Britain, and I think it will happen this year.

“I’d like people to recognise me at Heavyweight as ‘the man’, like they did at Cruiserweight. I had a version of the Heavyweight title but I want to be considered number one in the division.

“This is going to be the last phase of my career and I see myself as the biggest fight out there for every fighter on the planet. If Joshua wins the Klitschko fight, which I believe he will, a fight against myself would eclipse that.

“If I was to beat the winner of Joshua and Klitschko and then if Tyson Fury, fingers crossed, gets out of his depression and decides to put the gloves back on, a fight between me and him would be more than enough for people to recognize me as the best fighter on the planet.

“Once people recognize me as that, that’s mission done. It’s not like I have to aim for a specific belt. People are picking up belts left right and center, and although it’s nice to have that strap across your waist I’d like to be the lineal champion or as close as you can get.”

TONY BELLEW

“I unsettle him and he hates it because I’m unpredictable,” said Bellew. “I don’t know what I am going to do. I know one thing though – there’s only one World champion here and that’s me.

“He has to accept that I can hurt him. I said to B.J. and the same to everyone. At some stage, he’s going to hit the floor and I hope he wants it as much as me. With 10oz gloves on anything can happen.

“He could make Cruiserweight. He knows it. Whatever weight I get in the ring is fine, he’s a big Cruiserweight. It wouldn’t have happened at Cruiserweight as I’d have to give into more demands – I thought I was fighting Mariah, he’s got that many diva demands.

“He wanted to retire at 30, now look at him. He’s partying in Miami, he doesn’t want it, he’s back for the money. He doesn’t care about me; he thinks he’s going to walk in there and blow me away. I’ve had 30 odd fights and only one genuine loss, Adonis Stevenson, and he’s elite. I was poor against B.J. but it’s got me the fight I want.”

“I am going in with a fighter that is very fast, very powerful, but I think that’s just for four rounds,” said Bellew. “He’s an elite level fighter, but not the one that was able to be that quick and explosive over a fair distance. He’s a front-runner, but a brilliant front-runner. It’s like me saying he’s a one-trick pony, but it’s a hell of a trick. That right hand is a hell of a dig and if he lands on anyone early in a fight, it doesn’t matter if you are Heavyweight or Cruiserweight, you are going to sleep. It’s when his timeframe in fights passes, that’s when I feel he’s there for the taking – but it’s only words now, I must prove it tonight.

“He was conning the British public with those two fighters. His last guy was so bad he had a draw with the bag in the gym. He’s a world class fighter, he’s the best athlete besides Joshua in the Heavyweight division. Is he the best fighter? No, but he’s a great athlete.
If this was a race he’d win, bench press competition he’d win, but it’s a fight.

“Tell me a top Heavyweight he’s beat? He beat a top Cruiserweight in Jean Marc Mormeck in 2007 but I’m the best Cruiserweight in the world right now so all he is doing is fighting the best in the world at his old weight.

“It makes me laugh that people think he’s going to win this easy, because I’ve always had that. People thought Makabu was going to beat me easy – to be honest, he got close in that first round, but I got up and I won. I’ve been written off many times, this is no different to any other fight, don’t let anyone fool you.

“He’s got two arms and two legs, same as anyone else. The scale from the media may be different and the public attention might be bigger, there’s a lot of outside focus on the fight, but the same rules apply in this fight as to any other.

“There are only three things that matter to me in a fight. Number one – get home safe to the wife and kids. Number two – win at all costs. Number three – nothing else matters. Doubters, critics, well-wishers, none of it matters other than those three things.

“The pressure of fighting at Goodison Park was far more stressful than this. I had been going there since I was eight years old, I’d built a dream up of fighting there since I was a kid and I did it.

“It was so hard to walk into that stadium and know that there was a ring there for me to fight for the WBC World title – I ask any football fan to imagine what that would be like. Then add to that my son being there at the only fight he’ll ever be at.

“I was expected to lose that night but a lot of people wanted me to win. The bookies thought I would lose but the will of the people wanting me to win and the need for me to win was far greater than people can imagine – a whole other level.”

“Our sport has been through enough drama and heartache recently,” said Bellew. “We had the tragic death of Mike Towell, Nick Blackwell nearly dying, Eduard Gutenechkt going into a coma – and he says the stuff he says.

“I was at the fight when Callum Smith KO’d Luke Blackledge working for BBC radio, and it was a bad one, he hit him flush and he slammed against the canvas. Luke was out cold and I was praying that he got up because Callum is a devastating puncher.

“I looked over where David was working for Sky Sports, he caught my eye, and mouthed ‘you’re going to end up like that’. At that moment, Luke wasn’t even awake. I just said to him ‘you are a scumbag, that boy is on the floor unconscious and you are saying that?’

“I want to beat David Haye but I don’t want to hurt him, I just want him to be stopped by the ref or be down for ten seconds. The things he says are so out of place, it’s wrong. I don’t want to hurt anyone, I’m a professional athlete, even though I don’t look like one, and I just want to win – but talks of stretchers is wrong, and in the Gloves Are Off he crossed the line.

“I said that I can’t wait for it to be over and that I want to get back to the family because I am content with the life I have. His response to that was ‘you’re going to hospital’. I asked him to come again, and when he repeated it we had to stop filming.

“That’s the closest to I’ve come to really wanting to give it to someone in boxing but not in the ring. I hope he goes home safe after the fight and does what he wants to do.

“I know what my priorities are, what’s important to me. I don’t think he does, I think he lives in a dream world, hanging out in Miami with celebrities over Christmas. I woke up on Christmas Day with my three beautiful kids, the only people that really rely on me in this world, the only ones that need me – so every spare minute I spend with them and every penny this horrible game makes me is going on their future.

“He came to Liverpool for the press conference and cause the controversy to drum up the pay-per-view and get more buys. If you’ve spent £20m you want to make another £20m as quickly as possible. For the last five or six years I’ve been doing fight weeks and promos for big shows, World title shows, Box Office shows and big build ups.

“He’s been hitting every nightclub in Miami and sunning himself. This is a man who said to the world he was going to retire at 30, and was financially secure enough to do it. Why is he back? He couldn’t give up the limelight, it killed him. He hated not being part of the celebrity circuit, the nightclubs, the women – and he’s lost everything because he couldn’t give it up.

“I can’t wait to give it up. When I’m done, and I’m not far from that point – there’s a few things I’d like to achieve, bonus levels in the game, but as far as my goals go, I’ve completed the game. I’ve done everything I set out to do. I’ve won. Beaten it.

“I’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. I’m just focused on getting home. I don’t rest on my laurels. People have asked if I can get up for a fight after Goodison, after Flores – I will be up for it for every single fight because the same three rules apply. That’s why I drive myself in the gym and I’m dedicated, turn up day in, day out and get it done.”

“I am the first to credit people when they do something great and I’ve always said Shane McGuigan is a good coach,” said Bellew.

“McGuigan and Carl Frampton are made for each other because they’ve been together from the start and they’ve created a style and developed it so well.

“When it comes to someone like Haye, him and Adam Booth made and created a style together. They were made for each other and perfected that fantastic style to the very limit.
“They had a tried, tested and proven way of training and even I can’t knock it because it worked throughout his career. It seems that now he’s no longer training with Adam Booth, he is the boss.

“Someone like Shane might be a little bit in awe with someone like Haye, a former undisputed cruiserweight world champion of the world, former heavyweight champion of the world, a big celebrity, so it’s not like with Frampton, when they were both learning on the job.

“He is allowing David Haye to do what he wants and at the end of the day if this wasn’t the case, why has Haye been in Miami with the fight six weeks away while his coach is in Las Vegas.

“David doesn’t respect his coach. My coach went to Texas to prepare Jamie McDonnell’s first fight with Tomoki Kameda and my fight was scheduled 11 weeks after that.

“I didn’t have to go out to Texas but once I’d hit the 12-week cycle, I’m strictly in camp. I took myself to Texas and trained every single day, and why isn’t Haye doing that?

“McGuigan said in the media, him training Haye for five weeks is enough. So be it, but he’s treating him differently to all his other fighters.

“When I am in camp, Dave has full responsibility, he says when I come and go, what I do and don’t do and between him and my fitness coach they work out a plan.

“Because it’s Tony Bellew and he thinks it’s a walk in the park and it’s OK to stay in Miami and party. While he’s been posing in the sun I am working my bits off in the cold and the dark.

“I am going in with a man who was absolutely fantastic. When he was in his prime, an immense athlete – but the tank is very, very low and it does not last very long.
“When the gas runs out, the big fat Scouser is going to steam through him.”

KlowdTV Boxing McDonnell vs Vargas
KlowdTV Boxing McDonnell vs Vargas

About AWE LIVE BOXING

AWE LIVE Boxing features live world title championship and elimination bouts showcasing today’s most exciting fighters. Since the inception of AWE’s live boxing events in 2011, and has featured over 50 world class title fight. AWE has earned multiple Boxing Writers Association of America nominations for “Fight of the Year” and has featured over thirty world class boxing events. In 2013, AWE showcased all live bouts featuring heavyweight David Price. AWE aired live the stunning upsets of Tony Thompson over David Price, along with Adonis Stevenson and Tony Bellew cards, who fought each other for the light Heavyweight championship; 2008 Olympic Gold Medal winner James DeGale. AWE brought boxing fans two of the most controversial bouts which saw Ricky Burns keep his Lightweight title against Ray Beltran. AWE fans have witnessed the explosive power of undefeated heavyweight Tyson Fury multiple times on the network, including Fury’s victory over Kevin Johnson. In 2014, AWE televised the crowning of lightweight champion Terence Crawford with his win over Burns as well as the exciting rematches between Carl Frampton and Kiko Martinez along with Tony Bellew defeating Nathan Cleverly. In 2015, AWE brought boxing fans on of the most anticipated rematches of the year, Darleys Perez v. Anthony Crolla II for the WBA Lightweight World Title.

In 2016, AWE was the exclusive American boradcaster of Lucas Browne’s stunning knockout over Ruslan Chagaev to win the WBA Heavyweight title.

About AWE – A Wealth of Entertainment
A Wealth of Entertainment (“AWE”) features a wide range of lifestyles and entertainment programming from exotic travel and outrageous homes to live world championship boxing.AWE is featured on over a hundred cable providers, including AT&T U-Verse, ch 147 and 1147 in HD and Verizon FiOS TV, ch 169 and 669 in HD. For more information, please visit www.awetv.com.

Coming soon:
April 15: Ricky Burns vs Julius Indongo

LAS VEGAS–Boxing fans can rejoice that this Saturday’s heavyweight showdown between former heavyweight and cruiserweight world champion David Haye and current cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew can be seen LIVE on AWE-A Wealth of Entertainment and for fans who do not have AWE, the fight will be available on the AWE channel on www.klowdtv.com. Anyone wanting to watch this great fight must be a registered user of www.klowdtv.com

The action begins at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT.

Haye (28-2, 26 KO’s) of London, England is the former WBA/WBC/WBO world cruiserweight champion as well as the former WBA World Heavyweight champion.

Bellew (28-2-1, 18 KO’s) of Liverpool, England is the current WBC Cruiserweight champion.

This has been a grudge match that has been brewing since Bellew stopped BJ Flores in October, and had an altercation with Haye, who was sitting at ringside.

The two will settle the score on Saturday from a sold old 02 Arena in London.