Rodney Dangerfield, the American actor, comedian and producer, once said: "I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out."
After the late-night antics at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England, on Saturday, it was hard not to think back to that famous quote. To tweak Dangerfield's line slightly: "Tony Bellew went to a fight the other night, and a press conference/WWE skit/pantomime broke out."
Despite retaining his WBC cruiserweight title in style on home turf, Bellew's performance wasn't the main talking point at the end of proceedings.
No, even though he dropped challenger BJ Flores four times in total on his way to a TKO victory in Round 3, Bomber's big hits couldn't overshadow what went on after the actual fighting had finished.
David Haye—a former cruiserweight world champion—was ringside working for broadcaster Sky Sports. His role on television made sense, not just because of his past experiences at the weight limit but also due to his friendship with Flores.
However, his presence was also a publicity stunt waiting to happen.
Bellew emphatically did the business in the ring and then quickly moved on to taking care of business out of it.
In fact, for a brief second, it seemed he was going to carry the fighting into the front few rows of seats, too. Paul Zanon, who was present, captured the moment:
Thankfully, his progress toward Haye—who famously scuffled with Dereck Chisora at a post-fight press conference in Germany—was cut short by security guards and members of his team.
So, instead of trading blows, the pair traded insults.
Bellew took aim at Haye and let him have it with both barrels. He told Sky Sports (h/t Matt Horan of SkySports.com) in his post-fight interview:
You see him [Haye]? He's been conning the British public since his pathetic comeback started.
The last two guys you fought are working on nightclub doors, or they're putting the bins out. You see you? You're gonna get smashed too.
With 10 ounce gloves on, I'll put you and your pathetic haircut to sleep. Brother, I'm the biggest payday you've got right now.
The verbal assault was intense yet not incoherent. Far from it. It was an impassioned call to arms sent out into the Liverpool air with the aim of goading one man to the negotiating table.
Plenty of the crowd inside the venue lapped up Bellew's performance, adding fuel to the fire as they laughed and cheered at the appropriate moments, as if prompted by cue cards held up by a stagehand positioned at the side of the ring.
Promoter Eddie Hearn smiled as he listened on at close quarters. In a matter of seconds, he had been turned into a human fruit machine, with Bellew pulling his handle in the hope that both men would hit the jackpot.
A Bellew vs. Haye bout would have three crucial little words attached to it: Pay. Per. View.
The 33-year-old former British and Commonwealth light heavyweight champion—who played the role of Ricky Conlan in the motion picture Creed—spoke so clearly that it felt like the whole speech could have been scripted out prior to his leaving the dressing room. It was WWE stuff, minus anyone being hit with a chair.
The fight with Flores was a mere aperitif served up to stimulate the appetite for what was to follow.
Bellew the bloke is a humble, family-oriented man with a love for Everton Football Club. His ability to talk sense, coupled with a sharp boxing brain, gets him regular work in the media.
Bellew the boxer, however, is an altogether different beast. As if a switch is flicked inside somewhere, he changes character completely. He becomes short-tempered and seemingly always on the edge of exploding.
The "hold me back moments" at press conferences are so common you're now surprised when they don't happen. Bellew also didn't need to brand Haye a "bitch" while getting his points across live on air.
Yet there is a method to the madness, as it seems Bellew needs a fire burning inside to function properly as a fighter.
The Liverpudlian's antics also create interest, and so long as he doesn't cross the line, that's no bad thing. Whether you love him or hate him doesn't really matter, so long as you tune in to watch.
Whatever your personal feelings on Bellew, he convincingly won on two fronts. After smashing Flores in fine fashion to keep his belt, he then followed up by challenging his No. 1 target in a public manner.
Haye had to stand and smile through the tirade. His mate was flattened early and often during the actual bout, yet here he was, all suited and booted, feeling the full force of a fired-up Bellew with a bone to pick.
Eventually, his chance to launch countermeasures came live on air while chatting to host Ed Robinson and fellow guests Carl Froch and Johnny Nelson, who looked like kids standing next to their mate straight after he'd been harangued by his mum for not tidying his bedroom before going out to play.
Per James Dielhenn of SkySports.com, Haye's response was to tell Sky Sports how he'd "probably knock him [Bellew] out with a jab."
There was a willingness on his part to accept the challenge laid down live on TV—depending on what happens with the heavyweight titles recently vacated by Tyson Fury.
When the heat dies down, the two-weight world champion may actually look to distance himself from Bellew.
According to Phil D Jay of World Boxing News, WBO boss Paco Valcarcel could throw Haye into a four-man mix, along with Hughie Fury, Joseph Parker and Andy Ruiz Jr., for the governing body's now-available belt.
Then there is Anthony Joshua. The golden ticket for any heavyweight right now, the IBF champion must be top of Haye's wish list, considering his past history with Fury—who had his licence suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control on Thursday—and Wladimir Klitschko rules that pair out of the equation.
Haye failed on multiple times to make it to the ring to face Fury, while his 2011 fight with Klitschko was so dreary that not even Derek Trotter would attempt to flog a rematch.
However, holding the WBO title could pave the way for a lucrative unification showdown with Joshua, who is still yet to confirm his next opponent.
For now, Haye has to playing a waiting game. All the summer talk of a bout with Shannon Briggs has dissipated, leaving Haye without an opponent for his next outing, which he revealed on Twitter will be on December 10.
A clash with Bellew isn't going to happen that quickly, but it could be made for early in 2017.
While not a recognised heavyweight (there's no way Haye drops back down to cruiser, a division he hasn't fought in since 2008), Bellew would pose a far greater threat than Mark de Mori or Arnold Gjergjaj, the two human punching bags Haye has faced since announcing his comeback after three-and-a-half years away from the sport.
But is this spat enough to justify the bout? Does a clash between a genuine cruiserweight world champion and a rarely active heavyweight deserve to be made, let alone headline a pay-per-view card?
Perhaps more importantly, does Haye feel the risk of putting his reputation on the line is worth it for the reward on offer?
The answer to those questions will come down to simple numbers. As BBC journalist Ben Dirs pointed out on Twitter, money makes the boxing world go round:
Be prepared for further media moments from Bellew in the near future, too. Like a dog with a juicy bone, he will not let this one go.
Denis Lebedev—the holder of the WBA Super and IBF titles—and WBO holder Oleksandr Usyk are unification options at his current weight. Mairis Briedis, meanwhile, is his mandatory challenger waiting in the wings. Then there's ex-WBC champion Grigory Drozd, who lost the belt due to injury, lurking in the background.
Yet none of those names holds the same appeal—or earning potential—as Haye, who Bellew renamed SpongeBob SquarePants.
If the display against Flores—who was even knocked out of the role of best supporting actor—was impressive, Bellew's performance in front of the microphone was a show-stealing effort, rendering the bout nothing more than an afterthought (which is perhaps no more than Flores' performance deserves).
The Bomber was right on target in and out of the ring on Saturday. Now he has to wait to see what happens once the dust settles.
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