A REMATCH BETWEEN Tony Bellew and David Haye has been pencilled in for 17 December.

The British fighters faced off at the O2 London back in March, when Liverpool native Bellew claimed victory by an 11th-round TKO after Haye had fought on with an Achilles injury picked up in the sixth.

34-year-old Bellew has relinquished his WBC cruiserweight belt to remain in the heavyweight division and will meet Haye, two years his senior, again at the same venue later this year.

The bout, promoted by Matchroom Boxing and set to be shown live on Sky Sports, takes place on a Sunday night in the run-up to Christmas.

“I will have the exact same attitude I had going into the first fight — win at all costs,” said Bellew. “I will be victorious on 17 December 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. My world has been put into perspective in the last four weeks, it’s been the toughest four weeks of my family’s lives and I will dedicate my victory on 17 December to my late brother-in-law.”

Haye added: ”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. Without question, ‘The Bomber’ showed great heart, grit and determination to weather the early storm. Credit to him, that he’s willing to step back into the lion’s den and do it all over again.

“He somehow won the lottery in our first fight, but believe me, he won’t win the lottery twice.”

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