TONY Bellew has revealed he broke his hand in the early stages of his heavyweight victory over David Haye.

It was clear that Haye was struggling physically before his trainer Shane McGuigan threw in the towel in the 11th round at the O2 Arena in London, with the 36-year-old suffering a suspected Achilles injury at the halfway point of the bout.

Yet Bellew confirmed he was also battling an injury and said: "I'm just happy David's home and healthy and safe. We did receive injuries. I broke my right hand in the second or third round. It's very sore now.

"I had a bad right knee myself going in – but this is not what people want to hear. This is why I asked David from the very start 'are you okay?' And believe me, for four rounds he was fine."

Bellew said he had put the injury out of his mind during the fight, adding: "I don't feel the pain, all I think about is winning."