Tony Bellew, David Haye announce London rematch

LONDON: British rivals Tony Bellew and David Haye have agreed to a second instalment of their heavyweight grudge match in December.

Former light-heavyweight and cruiserweight Bellew stepped up to the heavyweight class to hand former world champion Haye just the third defeat of his career in London in March.

But Haye fought for five of their 11 rounds with a ruptured Achilles leading to more questions than answers and leaving many hoping for a rematch.

There was plenty of bad blood between the pair in the build-up to the first fight and now, with Haye fit again, the pair will have a rematch at London's 02 Arena on December 17.

"I will have the exact same attitude I had going into the first fight -- win at all costs," Bellew said on Friday.

"I will be victorious on December 17 and I will end David Haye's career. Another loss to me closes the curtain on the Hayemaker.

"This isn't personal anymore, it's strictly business. This is just another fight."

Haye, a heavyweight title-holder between 2009 and 2011, has rebuilt both his body and his team since the loss to Bellew, with Ismael Salas taking over from Shane McGuigan as his trainer.

"I'm excited to give the public the rematch they truly crave, ever since the explosive first showdown earlier this year. On March 4, the script was thrown out the window and the unpredictability of sport revealed itself in its most raw form," he said.

"He somehow won the lottery in our first fight, but believe me, he won't win the lottery twice."