Tony Bellew vs David Haye: The circus has come back around, but it’s a more faded, languid build-up than before

Boxing on TV: How Haye's body holds up will be key in this fight

Here we go again. David Haye vs Tony Bellew. Actually, scrap that. This time it’s Tony Bellew vs David Haye, because these things mean something in boxing. Just like it matters when someone pinches your stapler at work, it’s important to boxers whose name is said first, who walks out last, and who Michael Buffer puts an extra emphasis on when he croaks through his introductions.

You see, this is more than a boxing match. This is an event, it’s pantomime. Last time around, when the two met in March 2017, I described their upcoming bout as “a bout based on deception to lure in casual punters and fanatics alike”.

It all seemed so simple. In one corner was a two-weight world champion who had dominated at cruiserweight and achieved some success at heavyweight. Though 36 at the time, and having gone through a series of injuries, the general belief was that David Haye would destroy Bellew, who had fought most of his career at light heavyweight, won a credible world title at cruiserweight, and was fighting at heavyweight for the first time ever.

Fate, and age, dictated a different story however. Rumours of a severe Achilles injury for Haye swirled round the sporting world in the week before the fight, and when the Hayemaker tentatively strolled towards the ring, something seemed amiss. It was clear from the opening rounds that the explosiveness which had defined Haye’s career before had disappeared. The coolness was tempered by awkwardness, wild swings missed Bellew by a mile, and then, midway, his Achilles finally gave in.

A few years prior, Haye may have just given in and pulled out through injury. The mentality which saw him blame a broken toe for his loss to Wladimir Klitschko and fade against Carl Thompson had always worried fans, but the Haye of March 2017 needed this win. He wasn’t the golden boy of British boxing anymore. He was the guy who pulled out more than a couple playing Russian roulette with birth control. So Haye, to his immense credit, bit down on his gum shield and continued to fight.

How much of a farce was their opening fight? Well, despite Bellew boxing fairly well and clearly winning the psychological battle, he still struggled to put away a one-legged man in an arse-kicking content. Haye lasted until round 11 before finally being forced to stop, and had actually won a round while limping constantly. Bellew took the win, and the aura of success, but Haye had achieved something more profound - respect from an audience who had begun to view him as a fraud.

Fast forward a year and two months, and we’re in exactly the same situation we are last time. Neither man has fought since, but both are talking as if they are still in their pomp. Haye is alleging that he’s feeling as good as ever, but after such an intensive injury to suffer in his mid-30s, plus a history of shoulder issues, that can’t be true. And though at one point he was genuinely one of the hardest-hitting punchers in boxing, those wounds to such vital body parts for a boxer simply cannot mean he has improved over the past year.

Indeed, Haye has taken a more solemn approach to promotion this time around. The brashness has mostly disappeared, replaced with a languid attitude. Perhaps the only issue is, after all his history, the personality seems faker than the build-up to the first fight. Haye simply doesn’t have the acting range to pull off humbleness, there is always a flicker of arrogance and disdain behind the eyes.

Bellew is still Bellew of course. A proud, opinionated man who is internally aware of his own limitations, but outwardly does everything he can to destroy them. Would he ever have beaten a prime 2010 David Haye? There is perhaps a five per cent chance. But this is 2018, and the world is insane now. He can only beat who is in front of him, and if that’s a faded glory, he’ll focus in and try to do it.

Tonight’s fight is peculiar, in that it’s fundamentally meaningless, but that also makes it all the more enticing. Both men have viable options if they win, but the reality is, for Haye and Bellew, their days in the sun are winding down quickly. This could be the last chance for either man to fully establish their legacy, which is the craziest thing of all. Years and years of success, amateur development, British, European and world titles, millions of pounds, and for the public, the lasting memory of each will be who wins tonight, and how.

Is it worth £20 tonight to watch a mediocre boxing match between two guys whose skills are on the wane? Depends if you want to see if a one legged man can win an arse kicking contest. Oh, wait...