Tony Bellew says his sparring partners feign injuries to prepare for David Haye rematch
David Haye was injured in the first meeting between the pair, and Tony Bellew expects more of the same on Saturday
TONY BELLEW is so confident David Haye will collapse again mid-fight, he makes sparring partners fake injury.
Hayemaker’s Achilles tendon ruptured in their first fight 14 months ago — and the original rematch was canned after he needed a bicep op.
Crocked Haye was forced to adopt rope-a-dope tactics in that painful defeat.
And Bomber, 35, expects another sicknote from the ex-heavyweight champion when they fight again on Saturday.
Bellew said: “I’ve done over 100 rounds in sparring with numerous partners and prepared for every version of Haye.
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“What I didn’t prepare for last time was an injured Haye sitting on the ropes, waiting to counter with a big right hand.
“Funnily enough, I’ve even prepared for that in this fight!
“I’ve had a man lying on the ropes looking for a big right-hand.
“In later rounds of sparring, I’ve had a fresh sparring partner come in who is very good on defence.”
Haye, 37, was on the receiving end of a shove from Everton fan Bellew at the end of their Westminster face-off yesterday.
It was the first time the Scouser had lost his cool in the build-up — prompting Haye to claim his bitter rival is feeling the pressure.
He said: “He’s starting to crack. Bellew was just saying stuff to try to wind me up. He’s a strange fella.”
In the press conference for their March 2017 fight, Haye landed a left hook on Bellew after a similar shove.
And in 2012 when Dereck Chisora lost to Wladimir Klitschko, Haye burst into the press conference and brawled with his fellow Brit.
Hayemaker hit his future opponent with a bottle and his then-trainer Adam Booth suffered a gash to the head during the scrap.
Haye says it was lucky there were no weapons to hand yesterday — or their fight at London’s O2 could have been off.
He said: “Bellew did the same thing in our first press conference and, as he pushed me, I managed to swing a little left slap.
“This time around, if I had punched him, I would have cut him and the fight would be off.”