Bellew says Haye should turn into a Buddhist monk after his climbdown following his shock defeat in first bout as the British pair prepare to lock horns again to settle a score
DAVID HAYE was labelled a peace-loving Buddhist monk by bitter rival Tony Bellew after the former world champion started eating humble pie ahead of their heavyweight showdown.
The rearranged rematch is on May 5 - labelled Repeat or Revenge - after Bellew, 35, won the last battle when Haye was pulled out with his Achilles’ tendon hanging by a thread.
Haye, 37, was full of vicious insults for the first fight, warning Bellew he was destined for a hospital visit.
But on Wednesday he was pull of niceties and compliments that Bellew says were fake.
Bellew said: “You whipped your top off last time and looked amazing and you could do that again, that will never change.
“But you have not changed, you cannot be humble. I have never changed my opinion of you once.
“You have labelled me so many things and now you are trying to flip.
“I have not put you in your box, you’ve not been off Instagram ever since. You are deluded.
“I hope you don’t become a Buddhist before the fight - I am worried you might crack out the holy prayers.
"You're saying 'you beat me and humbled me' - that's b******s".
Haye was all smiles at the press conference, without any of the verbals he used to sell the last showdown.
He said: “I boxed horrendously last time, Tony forced me to box badly. He got under my skin and I needed that fuel at the time.
“Bellew bettered me and that is it, he humbled me and I now have an opportunity to right those wrongs.
“All that anger and hostility did not work last time. If i played him at snooker it would not help me, getting all whipped up and hating him.
“All my big wins have come when I have been focused, all my losses have come when I have been caught up in anger and hatred.”
