By CompuBox
In an early candidate for upset of the year, WBC cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew, who was in the latest "Rocky" film, flipped the script by exploiting a leg injury by former two division champion David Haye midway through the sixth by scoring one knockdown in round six and another in the 11th before Haye's corner threw in the towel.
Haye dominated the early war of nerves by jabbing to the body (half of his 30 jab connects through five rounds hit the belly) but after Haye carried significant statistical leads into the sixth (44-17 overall, 30-9 jabs, 14-8 power), Bellew turned the tables thanks to the injury.
In rounds 6-11, Bellew prevailed 91-36 overall and 71-15 power to cement final leads of 108-80 overall, and 79-29 power to offset Haye's 51-29 gap in landed jabs. Both men were as gracious after the fight as they were volcanic before it. Haye reportedly had surgery Sunday to repair a torn achilles tendon.
Bellew humbled Haye with a shock 11th round win in a non-title heavyweight fight at the O2 in London on Saturday. Former WBA world heavyweight champion Haye suffered a suspected snapped Achilles tendon in the sixth round, leaving him an easy target as he stumbled and limped around the ring for second half of the fight.
Unable to move away from Bellew's blows, Haye got up from a count in the seventh round and bravely battled on until he was knocked out of the ring in the 11th round.
As he was climbing back into the ring, Haye's trainer Shane McGuigan threw in the towel to the stop the fight.
Haye afterwards called for a rematch after a third career loss in his 31st fight which has shattered his hopes of facing one of the world heavyweight champions in the next 12 months.
Bellew, the reigning WBC world cruiserweight champion who stepped up a division, enjoyed silencing Haye's pre-fight taunts and claimed: "I'm the most valuable heavyweight in the world outside the world champions."
Bellew said he would be willing to meet Haye again at Goodison Park, home of Everton football club.
