Friday 29 September 2017 13:05, UK
Tony Bellew's rematch with David Haye is still fuelled by "genuine hate" and the winner can pursue a world title while the loser should retire, says Johnny Nelson.
You always know when there is genuine hate. I've been around Bellew and Haye when there are no cameras around and I hear how they talk about each other.
Yes, in the adulation after the fight they hugged, but this is pride. Things were said in the build-up to the first one that really can't be taken back, regardless of how you were trying to promote the fight. When the dust has settled, these things hurt. This is genuine, without a doubt, and that's why it's going to be another big occasion.
I think Haye has got more to prove after losing the first fight. People will say Tony won because of Haye's injury, but Tony predicted that Haye's body wouldn't hold up, and he got it right.
If David loses, he retires, and I actually think the same refers for Tony.
In the rematch, will Haye be able to turn back time and produce a career-best performance, which he needs at this stage in his life? Last time David was built like a tank as he wanted to take Tony out. Is he going to come back like a lean machine, because he wants to outbox Bellew? If he does, then it's a completely different fight.
If Haye loses, he'll have nowhere to go. I think he knows that. Yes, there may be other opportunities, but are they going to take him seriously? Can he command the kind of money that he wants? He's not going to be able to do that.
Both will have their eyes on Joseph Parker, because that's a winnable fight for one of them to become the WBO heavyweight champion.
If David loses, he retires, and I actually think the same refers for Tony. They are both at that stage of their careers now when a loss drops their pay bracket from a few million to thousands - it makes a big difference.
The winner goes to a world title, but the loser goes to retirement.
Watch Tony Bellew vs David Haye II, from the O2, London, on Sunday, December 17, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
