Tony Bellew's children are his main motivation for David Haye showdown

The Liverpudlian will be thinking of his three sons when he enters the ring at the O2 Arena

Tony Bellew believes that his opponent is underestimating him (Getty)

Tony ‘Bomber’ Bellew's three children are the main reason why he wants to get home safely from his grudge match against David Haye.

The current WBC cruiserweight champion will be stepping into the ring at London’s O2 Arena on 4 March to face a man he once said could potentially kill him with a punch.

“When I am away from boxing I like to spend time with my three boys who mean everything to me,” he said. It is of little surprise that they will be his inspiration when he steps into the ring with Haye.

“Every single time I get home at the end of the week from my camp, I see my kids’ faces. So the better shape I am, the more driven, the more hard work I do, the more chance of me getting home safely to my kids on fight night - that’s the only motivation I need.”

These words might hint at Bellew’s fears of the big challenge ahead of him. He is, after all, the underdog, and will be moving up to the heavyweight division from cruiserweight.

The bitter rivals traded personal insults in the lead up to the highly-anticipated fight and were even involved in a physical skirmish at a press conference in November.

Their rivalry began when Scouser Bellew first won the WBC cruiserweight title when he called Haye the ‘Bermondsey B****’, referencing his upcoming opponent’s hometown.

The personal campaign continued after Bellew knocked out BJ Flores in his first cruiserweight title defence and then taunted Haye, who sat at ringside.

Haye has threatened to put Bellew in hospital and to punish him for his public taunts, but the ‘Bomber’ has struck back with his own prediction and promise.

“When I win on 4 March I’m going to be hearing all the excuses flooding in why he lost and what’s happened. I’ll give the ‘Bermondsey B****’ a rematch immediately. I’ll give David Haye a rematch.”

Bellew also thinks that his opponent has seriously underestimated him. “I think he’s trying to play a game, but I also think he’s taking me lightly as well,” he said.

Bellew confronted Haye after successfully defending his crown against BJ Flores (Getty)

“Listen, I’ll be totally honest with you, if he was fighting Anthony Joshua there is no way in this world he would be in Miami chilling with less than 3 weeks to go.

“I think he’s training hard, don’t get me wrong, but he would be a lot more focused, diligent and stringent on himself if he was facing another champion. But because it’s me, Tony Bellew, he thinks I’m a soft touch.”

The ‘Bomber’ had a personal message for the Hayemaker, too. “All I can tell you is be prepared because I’m prepared to do twelve rounds at a killer pace and I’m more than ready to go to the well,” he warned.

“The question I need to be asking is: ‘Is David Haye’s body prepared to go to the well? And when it’s time to call upon him has he got that in the tank, has he got the reserves ready?’ I don’t believe he has, but it’s down to me to prove that on 4 March.”

“Every fight is a big fight, this could be my last one, or it could be one of many more,” he added. “My goal is to win on the night and, like I said, get safely home to my kids.”