Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/767466
21 THE Merseysider is preparing for his eagerly-awaited domes- tic clash with Haye, live on Sky Sports Box Office, and has ques- tioned the desire of his 36-year- old opponent. Haye made his comeback after a lengthy injury lay-off this year, but Bellew has suggested the for- mer two-weight world champion does not have the same mental toughness and plans to push him to breaking point. "What I will tell you is, if this fight goes past four rounds, he's going to quit," said the current WBC cruiserweight champion "At some stage, it will get too hard and he will quit. He hasn't got the fight in him anymore. "I love fighting. I am not 100 per cent in the head, I enjoy having a fight. We will see on March 4, where it happens, when it hap- pens, but I must stress when I knock out David Haye on March 4 - I am then the best heavyweight in the world outside of them champions. "Just let that sink in and think about where do I go from there." Bellew does concede that Haye is the "most dangerous" heavy- weight in the world, although he expects to emerge the winner from either a gruelling battle, or a four round firefight. "He's the best heavyweight in the world outside of the champi- ons," said Bellew. "There is no de- bating that whatsoever. "He's possibly the most danger- ous heavyweight in the world, including the champions. What does he do very well? He has got a massive right hand. His tech- nique's not the best but his fantas- tic athleticism allows him to make up for that. "If I can drag him to the second half of the fight and to the deep waters, I will drown him, I will win easy, but I don't think it will get that far. "I do believe this fight could be a four-round shootout and I am un- der no illusions if he catches me clean in the first four rounds I am going to have to get off the floor to win, but make no mistake he's go- ing to have to do the same thing. "The big difference between me and him, he hasn't got it in him to get off the floor." Sport TENNIS ATHLETICS BOXING maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 28 DECEMBER 2016 David Haye could quit - Bellew Tony Bellew believes David Haye will "quit" if their grudge fight becomes too demanding at The O2 on March 4 The heated press conference between David Haye and Tony Bellew Ana Ivanovic to retire? Ana Ivanovic has fuelled rumours of retirement by announcing she will reveal "important" news today THE former world number one posted a cryptic message on Twit- ter, saying: "My dear fans & sup- porters. Pls tune in to my Face- book page today at 6pm UK time, where I'll be sharing something important with you live." There has been speculation in recent years about Ivanovic's fu- ture in the sport, with the Serbian struggling to replicate the form that brought her her only grand slam title at the French Open in 2008. The 29-year-old had a particu- larly tough 2016 season, winning just 15 matches all year, the most recent in June, and slipping to 63rd in the rankings. After suffering a fifth straight loss in the opening round of the US Open in August, Ivanovic in- sisted she was not thinking of re- tiring, saying: "I just need to really see why is this happening. "I had struggles throughout my career. I had some tough times. This is not the first time I'm going through this. It just hurts because I know what I invested." A few days later Ivanovic, who married Manchester United mid- fielder Bastian Schweinsteiger in the summer, announced she was calling time on her season in a bid to allow wrist and toe injuries to fully heal. But she vowed she would be back, saying: "I had to make this difficult decision so that I can fully recover and play injury-free next year. I can't wait to play again and be back on court fully fit in 2017." Ivanovic posted pictures of her- self back in training in November and was one of the highest-profile players to compete in this year's International Premier Tennis League in Asia. She is due to begin the new sea- son at the ASB Classic in Auck- land, starting on January 2, and is also on the entry list for the Aus- tralian Open. Ana Ivanovic Mokhnev banned for 10 years Russian athletics coach Vladimir Mokhnev has been banned for 10 years, the Court of Arbitration for Sport has announced ATHLETE Anastasiya Bazdyreva has also been suspended for two years, starting from August 2015, after the International Associa- tion of Athletics Federations re- ferred their cases to the CAS. Mokhnev, the former coach of whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova, was found to have violated the IAAF rules relating to posses- sion, trafficking and administra- tion of banned substances and/or methods, and was suspended for a 10-year period from December 23, 2016. Stepanova gathered undercover evidence and helped to expose Russian state-sponsored doping. Meanwhile, 800metres runner Bazdyreva was found to have vio- lated article 32.2(b) of the IAAF rules which concern "use or at- tempted use by an athlete of a prohibited substance or a prohib- ited method" and a two-year ban, beginning on August 24, 2015, has been imposed. All her results between April 23, 2014 and August 24, 2015 have been annulled and any prizes, medals, prize and appearance money forfeited. Vladimir Mokhnev