Heavyweight boxer David Haye has warned Tony Bellew he is "delusional" about his chances of winning when the pair meet in March.
The former WBA World Heavyweight champion has thrown down the gauntlet to WBC World Cruiserweight champion Bellow.
The pair, who have had an on-going war of words, will clash after they had to be separated by security following Bellew's defence of his cruiserweight title against BJ Flores in October.
They will fight at the O2 in London on March 4 after the fight was announced on Friday and Haye took aim at Bellew, who was in last year's Rocky spin-off film Creed.
"The country is fed up of his constant yapping. Even in his home town of Liverpool, I would be stopped in the street by people begging me to spectacularly send him into retirement," said Haye, who returned from a three-and-a-half-year absence from the ring in January, when he knocked out Australian boxer Mark De Mori.
"Bellew is completely delusional if he thinks he can beat me. He still thinks he's on the set of Creed and there will be some kind of Rocky style happy ending. But come March 4th at The O2 in London I will bring reality crashing down on him."
Bellew became a world champion when he beat Ilunga Makabu to win the WBC Cruiserweight title at Goodison Park in May and is aiming to knock out Haye.
"I've backed him into a corner, left him nowhere to go, and now I have what I want," Bellew said. "I'm not under any illusions, I know exactly what I am going up against, it's big risk, big reward.
"I cop him with my best punch, he's going to sleep. He cops me with his best punch, more than likely I am going to sleep too.
"I know what I am up against but the big factor for me is, I'm a very active fighter, I've had no breaks and I've got very little wear and tear on me.
"He hasn't been in a hard fight for over five years. Everyone knows I get off the floor and I fight until the finish. I know the minute it gets tough for David Haye, he's going to spew it.
"He thinks he can beat me up in one round with one hand. He's in for a rude awakening, because if this fight gets hard, and I expect it to be the hardest night of my life, this clown expects a walk in the park and he's in for a bad night."
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