Tony Bellew has opened up about a sparring session with David Haye back in 2005 which he believes caused Haye to pull out of a scheduled fight with Mark Hobson.
Bellew was speaking on Sky Sports' 'The Gloves Are Off' programme as the two men sat down opposite each other for a tense showdown ahead of their much anticipated bout this weekend.
Speaking about the infamous sparring session, Bellew said: "He got a hiding off the two of us that day he turned up in Liverpool, flying high, was expecting to beat me and David Price up. He hit me with one of the hardest punches I have been hit with in the first round.
"I stood on my feet and said good shot. He looked at me in pure amazement and shock. I don't know how I stayed on my feet, but remember nodding and saying good shot.
"I was a cruiserweight at the time, he was a cruiserweight, and the spar went on. Three rounds later David Price got in and hit him with a right hand that spun him 360 degrees.
COMING UP: @mrdavidhaye v @TonyBellew will now be shown at 7.15pm on Sky Sports 1. Don't miss it. https://t.co/k39CEZXL5a
— Sky Sports Boxing 👊 (@SkySportsBoxing) February 26, 2017
"David Price would only have had to hit with a jab to knock him over, but David being David, stood back and said are you okay mate?
"I got in the next round, gave him a good few whacks on the side of the head. He took a knee. I went to hit him when he was on one knee and I missed him and punched the floor. That's the difference between me and David Price, I'm a savage. David is a lovely man and a nice guy," he added.
Haye is a former cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion and is going into the fight on the back on three wins.
Bellew is the current WBC cruiserweight champion and is currently on an eight fight win streak.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
