With his long awaited rematch with bitter rival David Haye now just a day away, Tony Bellew appears in confident mood as he bids to pull off a repeat of his March 2017 victory over the Londoner this weekend.

Indeed, such is Bellew's belief that Saturday's fight will follow the script of their first clash that the Liverpudlian actually modified his training camp in preparation for those same circumstances.

Bellew (29-2-1, 19 KOs) defeated Haye (28-3, 26 KOs) via 11th round stoppage in their initial meeting.

Haye's chances of victory were effectively ended, however, when he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the sixth round of the contest.

The former WBA heavyweight champion would bravely continue to fight, essentially on one leg, until his corner threw in the towel some five rounds later.

Many have questioned Haye's injury proneness at this stage of his career, particularly after the 37-year-old was forced to withdraw from a planned December 2017 rematch with a bicep injury.

As per The Sun, Bellew is certainly among those who are unconvinced by Haye's fitness - and says he has trained with this in mind.

"I’ve done over 100 rounds in sparring with numerous partners and prepared for every version of Haye," stated Bellew.

"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."

Bellew has previously been critical of his own performance in the first fight - admitting that he let his emotions get the better of him - when a more measured approach may have seen him secure the victory quicker after Haye became injured, with little risk of he himself being knocked out.

There is little chance of him repeating that error should the second fight unfold the same way though, according to Bellew.

"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," concluded the former WBC cruiserweight champion.

Whilst the winner of Saturday's eagerly anticipated showdown will stake their claim for further big fights in a packed heavyweight division, a stoppage loss for either Tony Bellew or David Haye could well spell the end of their career.

Bellew, for his part, seems keen to show that his first victory over Haye was no fluke and repeat his success on route to further big fights.