Haye vs Bellew II: three British boxing rematches – and three that should be made

It took three years for a rematch to materialise. Held at Old Trafford, with an estimated global audience of half a billion, Eubank vs Benn II remains one of the biggest sporting events to be staged in this country. Promoter Don King had it stipulated that both the winner and loser of the fight would join his stable. Another brutal battle duly materialised, albeit one that never quite matched the breathtaking intensity of their first encounter. After a desperately contested final round, the fight was ruled a draw: leaving both warriors unfulfilled, but freeing them from the rapacious clutches of King (who hadn’t thought to include a draw in their contracts). Despite frequent talk, which continues to this day, a trilogy bout never materialised; and hopefully now never will. 

Despite being the heavy underdog, Groves shocked the nation by dropping Froch in the first round – only the second time Froch had tasted the canvas in his long career. Although Froch regrouped, Groves continued to outbox the champion and a thrilling battle developed as Froch struggled to regain control of the bout. In the ninth round Froch had Groves in serious trouble for the first time in the fight. Despite the Londoner firing back shots of his own, referee Howard Foster controversially called off the bout. Groves hadn’t been down, and led on all three judges’ scorecards at the time of the stoppage. 

Due to the immense interest and controversy generated by their first fight, Froch vs Groves would never be anything less than titanic. The rematch took place in front of 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium, the first boxing match to be hosted at the new Wembley. Groves, getting into the spirit of the occasion, entered the arena atop a double-decker bus. Froch favoured a more subdued ring walk. The preliminaries went to the Londoner, but victory was the Nottingham man’s when he knocked out his rival with a stunning right hand in round eight. The winner never fought again; the vanquished Groves won that elusive world title at his fourth attempt earlier this year. Carl Froch, now a Sky pundit, led the applause. 

Bellew hasn’t been afraid to make enemies over his career, and although Haye is the most notorious, his rivalry with light-heavyweight Nathan Cleverly might be the more spiteful. In 2011, Bellew stepped in to fight Cleverly as a late replacement after the Welshman’s intended opponent dropped out. The British Board of Control refused to sanction the fight – Bellew’s weight loss was considered too extreme – but an extremely hostile press conference whet the appetite for their eventual clash. Five months later Cleverly defeated Bellew via split decision after a gruelling battle. 

Let’s be honest: Cleverly vs Bellew II was a stinker. However it was a stinker that sold more than 300,000 pay-per-views, and featured Tony Bellew, so it makes the list. The PPV sales were driven by the genuine dislike that existed between the two men, which made Cleverly’s shockingly passive performance seem even worse. If you can’t attack a man you profess to despise then perhaps your time is up. Bellew won a ridiculous split decision which should have been a unanimous one. Within two years the Liverpudlian captured the WBC title at Goodison Park, before moving up to heavyweight to challenge a certain David Haye…