Wednesday 19 November 2014 11:02, UK
Tony Bellew has turned up the heat ahead of Saturday's cruiserweight bout with bitter rival Nathan Cleverly in Liverpool by branding the Welshman 'a fraud'.
The pair clash at the Echo Arena, headlining an all-star cast live on Sky Sports Box Office just over three years after Cleverly successfully defended his WBO light-heavyweight crown against the Liverpudlian via a controversial majority points decision.
Bellew remains adamant he has the measure of Cleverly, who is almost five years his junior at 27, and used Tuesday's public workout to cause a stir - sticking tape across Cleverly's poster image to imitate his trademark bandana and writing the word 'Fraud' across it.
When asked to explain his actions, Bellew told Sky Sports: "He says one thing and then does another so I'm just letting it be known. Instead of the bandana saying what it usually says I think it's better saying something suitable from now on. That's the most truthful word I can use about him.
"One minute he's retiring, one minute he's the best athlete in the world, one minute he can't be knocked out and in the next phrase he says: 'If he hits me, he is the stronger man and can knock me out and someone's got to go.'
"He contradicts himself constantly so he's just a strange cat to be real and that's the fact of the matter.
He says one thing and then does another so I'm just letting it be known. Instead of the bandana saying what it usually says I think it's better saying something suitable from now on.
"If I had my own bandana I'd set it on fire and never put it on my head. That's where a bandana should be."
On the possibility of ending the fight early, Bellew added: "I've shown in the last two fights how much (power) there is there. I've stopped two guys and one of them had never even been on the floor his whole career and the other guy had only been stopped by world-class fighters.
"We'll find out on Saturday. I'm looking forward to going to work and doing a good job, which I'm convinced I'll do.
"You can expect a knockout - it's as simple as that. Whether I come out all guns blazing or he comes out all guns blazing, something's got to give.
"At the end of the day, I don't think he possesses what he possessed at light-heavyweight. I know what I possessed at light-heavyweight and it was only half of what I've got now and if that can take a fight to the wire at light-heavyweight then what can it do at cruiserweight? It's as simple as that."
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn is relishing a huge showcase event with the likes of Anthony Joshua, James DeGale, Scott Quigg and George Groves also in action, but is clearly particularly thrilled to have put together the Bellew-Cleverly rematch.
Hearn said: "A lot of people have been talking about Tony having to hold it together mentally for this fight.
"Nathan was very fired up yesterday and had a very explosive session on the pads. Normally at these media workouts people go through the motions but what we saw from Nathan yesterday was a lot of pad work, a lot of hard, heavy shots - getting himself worked up for the fight.
"Tony was a little bit calmer today but ulitmately this is a fight and there can be attitudes and personality in the build-up but on Saturday night, both men will walk out in front of 10,000 people into a ring of twenty foot inside the ropes and have a fight with one and other. Ultimately anything that has gone on in the build-up goes out the window because it is about that moment.
Nathan looked the bigger frame of the two and that was the one thing that surprised me yesterday, he looked like a big man - a big cruiserweight.
"But everyone gets involved in the pre-fight psychology and shenanigans and it can tell you little bits and pieces, at the press conference on Thursday and at the weigh-in on Friday when they come head-to-head for the last time.
"One thing we have found from both workouts is that both guys are in fantastic condition and both guys are very confident of success on Saturday."
Hearn also says he was surprised by the size of Cleverly at the Welshman's public workout on Monday, saying he measures up well to Bellew despite the Liverpool fighter being regarded as the naturally bigger man.
He added: "(Bellew) looks quite lean in comparison to his last couple of fights, he says he is pretty much on the weight now - I think he will weigh a little bit heavier than Nathan on Saturday.
"Nathan looked the bigger frame of the two and that was the one thing that surprised me yesterday, he looked like a big man - a big cruiserweight.
"Tony looks in great shape, he looked very sharp on the pads as well but one thing I have taken away from the two workouts is definitely the size of Nathan Cleverly."
Watch Cleverly v Bellew II live and exclusive on Sky Sports Box Office on November 22, with Joshua, Groves, DeGale and more, also on. Go to skysports.com/cleverlybellew to book.
