Tony Bellew admits a fight with pound-for-pound king Andre Ward is getting closer but a rematch with David Haye remains unlikely. Check out what the Merseyside fighter told us in Las Vegas after the historic Mayweather v McGregor showdown...
The former WBC cruiserweight champion stepped up to heavyweight for a grudge fight with David Haye back in March and upset the odds to claim a thrilling 11th round stoppage victory, albeit with the help of an ankle injury sustained by the Londoner midway through the bout.
Although the rivals embraced and showed mutual respect in the immediate aftermath of battle, negotiations over what would be a hotly-anticipated rematch have evidently broken down and Bellew told us the current stalemate has not changed.
However, the 34-year-old, admits a potential showdown with American star Andre Ward, who defended his three light-heavyweight world titles with a stoppage win over Sergey Kovalev back in June, is getting closer while another realistic opponent is New Zealander Joseph Parker.
The WBO heavyweight champion must first get past Hughie Fury in Manchester on September 23 (Parker 8/13 with Sky Bet, Fury 5/4).
Bellew, who is hoping to get back in the ring in November or December, said of Parker: "He's a good guy and a nice fella but I would knock Joseph Parker out, if the fight ever happened. We'll see. He's got a tough test on his hands in Hughie Fury. We don’t actually know how good Hughie is, but we’re going to find out in September.
"We're talking to Andre Ward's people also - we've had more conversations while we've been over here (Las Vegas) - so that’s got closer but David (Haye) isn't even on my mind. He’s not even up for discussion so until his demands change, it's not happening.
"If he agrees to what’s on the table – which is far better than what he gave me for the first one, then we’ll do it."
Sky Bet make Bellew the marginal outsider at 11/10 to beat Parker in their potential fight market while the Kiwi is 4/6. Should a rematch with Haye happen then Bellew is 5/2 to win again and 1/3 to be defeated.