[4][5][6] In October, following his win over BJ Flores, WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew immediately hit the ringside Haye with a verbal assault referring to him as 'Sideshow Bob'.

[7] This continued in the post-fight interview with Bellew stating Haye has been 'conning the British public' since he announced his comeback.

[8] On 25 November 2016, Hearn announced on Twitter that Haye and Bellew would face each other in a heavyweight bout on 4 March 2017 at The O2 Arena, London.

Haye managed to make it to his feet, but his trainer Shane McGuigan threw in the towel,[13] giving Bellew a TKO win.

As Kevin Mitchell of The Guardian newspaper summed up of the fight: Haye, staggering around the ring like a Saturday night drunk, went down swinging, his right ankle strapped in the ninth then unstrapped, his aged body sagging under every assault.....Even when thrashed through the ropes at the end, Haye clambered back and was willing to continue....