Tony Bellew has admitted his wife pleaded with him to quit boxing, but he just could not resist the passion he has for the sport.
Bellew did the unbelievable in March this year, when he stopped heavyweight rival David Haye in the 11th round. And although he suffered some serious injuries throughout the fight, he is willing to suffer again.
Haye and Bellew will meet for a rematch at London’s O2 Arena on December 17. The Hayemaker, who wrecked his Achilles heel in the 6th round, was gunning for a second chance and claims he returned to the gym the day after he lost the fight.
Bellew, on the other hand, served boxing's biggest upset for the year, and one should think he has nothing to win or prove in a rematch. He was even considering retirement from the sport.
And according to Bellew, his wife Rachael was a huge supporter of the idea.
“My missus begged me to stop and I was very close to considering it but I like fighting too much." Bellew said, as per The Sun.
“After beating Haye I was around 17 and a half stone and I asked myself could I be arsed to get off the weight to fight again.
“But you know what happened? I watched the boxing on the tele and it made me realize that I wasn’t ready to pack it in just yet.
“I was just watching different fights flicking through the tele. I do not really watch boxing in the house, I don`t have it on because I don’t want the kids seeing it.
“Me? I’m not through with boxing yet, I can’t stop.
“Rachael wasn’t too happy but I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know how much more my body can do.
”I am not aesthetically the best, let’s be honest. I don’t have a six-pack or a beach body and all that but I have never believed in all that s***. If you can fight you can fight.
“I can fight.”
About his condition after the first clash with Haye, Bellew shared:
“My hand was broken after the last fight, that is six times now I have broken bones in my hand. I’ve also fractured the left one clean through and the other fractures have now reached six."
“My right hand was a mess after the Haye fight, it was the size of a balloon in the dressing room."
“And I really don’t how much more my body can do.”
Former world cruiserweight champion Bellew will be keen to show the world that he can beat the fully fit version of David Haye - regardless of the cost.
“No matter how bad it gets, no matter how painful it is, no matter what, I will never quit." Bellew concluded.