Tony Bellew and David Haye may fight again before the year is out

The rematch is a possibility. And it might take place sooner than expected.

At one stage in the immediate aftermath of Tony Bellew's stoppage victory over David Haye, it seemed like the genuine possibility existed that both men would hang up their gloves. Bellew admitted that retirement was "something I'm thinking about" after upsetting the odds in his first bout at heavyweight while Haye's ruptured Achilles, coupled with his age, led many to believe that we had seen the last of the former world heavyweight and cruiserweight champion. But now that the dust has settled and both men have begun the recovery process for their respective injuries, it appears that retirement is off the table and that the rematch is very much on the cards. Ten days removed from Shane McGuigan throwing the towel into the centre of the ring in London's O2 Arena, talk has already turned to Bellew vs. Haye II. Promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed that 'Bomber' is definitely going to fight once more in 2017 and didn't rule out the chance of seeing a lucrative rematch between the bitter British rivals. "We're going to fight this year, 100 percent," Hearn told Sky Sports. "Like Tony [Bellew] said, the decision will be made by him and his family and it's my job to present the opportunities to him. I believe the Haye rematch will be one of those opportunities. "Part of Tony Bellew wanted to beat him fully fit. There are some unanswered questions. "It was an epic event, it was a thrilling fight but the Haye rematch certainly remains one of the biggest fights out there for both guys. "For Haye the only fight out there is the Tony Bellew rematch. For Tony there's the Haye rematch, there's Joseph Parker, there's Deontay Wilder, there's Tyson Fury, there's plenty of options."