Tony Bellew hates training but banks on it reaping rewards against David Haye

Tony Bellew is suffering for his art – or so he wants David Haye to believe as their London showdown approaches. By the time the heavyweights with an abiding distaste for each other get into the London Arena ring on 4 March, there will be little left in the way of insults but, for the time being, each is playing his part in boosting interest in one of the most anticipated pay-per-view fights in Sky’s 2017 boxing calendar.

When playboy Haye returned from Miami last week, he spoke a lot about his celebrity friends and insisted he had thoroughly enjoyed his sparring in the Florida sunshine. Bellew, tucked away in the cold, deep north of England, laughed at what he considers his antagonist’s posturing.

“Last week was an absolutely horrendous week,” Bellew said in Sheffield on Monday. “If I put it into comparison to his, what I heard him saying – ‘I love this camp, it’s been absolutely fantastic. I wish I could stay for longer and the camp could just keep going on and on’ – well, I’ll be honest, my camp has been horrible, horrendous.

“I have killed myself in the gym, time and time again. I’ve had about four heart attacks. I died on the treadmill on Saturday. I’ve mixed sparring partners up. I’ve done tons upon tons of rounds with big, heavy lumps who are trying to take my head off. I hate camp. But it’s all going to pay off when I hit him in that ridiculous haircut on 4 March.”

Bellew, who will start a long-shot against the bigger, faster, more powerful former world champion, added: “I think he’s lost. I just think he lives in a dream world. Come on, let’s be honest: is Dizzee Rascal really his friend? Does he really know Jeremy Piven and Jamie Foxx? Could they give two hoots about him? No.

“I don’t need celebrity friends, I don’t need new friends. I am what I am. I’m just a normal fellow who gets punched in the face for a living and gets punched really hard at times as well. But you know what? I’m all right at punching them back.”

Among the hired help who have been feeling the weight of his dangerous intentions in the gym lately is Dereck Chisora, who Haye stopped in a thrilling slugging match at Upton Park five years ago. Like the one-time tenants of that now dismantled football cathedral, Chisora has had his disappointments, but he remains a resilient workout partner.

Bellew said: “He is a long-time friend of mine, ‘Del Boy’, but let me tell you when the bell goes there ain’t no friendship there. Del Boy says to me: ’Tony, when you beat him, will you fight me?’ I said: ’You’re nuts, boy.’ Del Boy is a true heavyweight. I’m fighting this guy [Haye] and in my opinion, he’s not a true heavyweight, he’s a big cruiserweight. I’m facing something that I’ve seen before.”