Call it off! Call it off! What Tony Bellew was saying to David Haye and his trainer Shane McGuigan on Saturday night, so my wife was hollering at the TV as we sat and watched the cruel, brilliant climax to the boxing match of the year so far.

Bellew gave the best performance of his career and Haye the bravest. A match that had been marketed as a freak show ended up being a minor British classic. What began with insults ended with spent hugs and a trip to hospital: it was hard to watch but impossible to look away.

Bellew beat Haye in a tactical battle, full of heart, which found the limits of two good boxers’ physical endurance: Haye contesting half the fight on one leg, while Bellew clubbed away with a broken hand. Neither took a backward step — in Haye’s case, he could barely take a step at all.

In the end, as both tired — swinging in hope, while tumbling around and even out of the ring — it was almost too intense to bear.

But in a sense it was also purgative. The build-up to the fight strained boxing’s very broad limits of taste and acceptability. It was not so much trash talk as the sort of sloppy verbal smack that would land most civilians with a fixed penalty notice for a public order offence.

The curdled unpleasantness of the hype could only have been redeemed by a very, very fine fight — so it was just as well that this is what was served up.

And somehow, from the unlikeliest beginnings, both men emerged with their reputations intact — even enhanced. It’s possible that one or both will now retire. Of neither could it be said that they went out with a whimper.

It would be naive, of course, to think that boxing will be changed by the outcome and that mutual respect will suddenly replace pre-fight cussathons.

In Pictures | David Haye vs Tony Bellew | 04/03/2017 25 show all In Pictures | David Haye vs Tony Bellew | 04/03/2017 1/25 Tony Bellew celebrates victory over David Haye alongside promoter Eddie Hearn (left) and trainer Dave Coldwell (right) after the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 2/25 David Haye (right) embraces Tony Bellew after losing the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 3/25 Tony Bellew (right) speaks with David Haye after his victory during the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 4/25 David Haye is knocked through the ropes by Tony Bellew during the heavyweight contest at The O2. 5/25 David Haye is knocked down by Tony Bellew REUTERS 6/25 David Haye falls through the ropes Getty Images 7/25 David Haye (left) takes on Tony Bellew during the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 8/25 David Haye (left) takes on Tony Bellew during the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 9/25 David Haye (left) takes on Tony Bellew during the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 10/25 David Haye (left) takes on Tony Bellew during the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 11/25 David Haye (left) takes on Tony Bellew during the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 12/25 David Haye makes his ring entrance before the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 13/25 Tony Bellew before the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 14/25 Katie Taylor celebrates her victory over Monica Gentili. PA 15/25 Katie Taylor (right) takes on Monica Gentili in the super-featherweight contest at The O2. PA 16/25 Sam Eggington (right) takes on Paulie Malignaggi in the international welterweight championship PA 17/25 Chris Eubank Jr in the crowd PA 18/25 Ohara Davies celebrates after victory over Derry Mathews PA 19/25 Sam Eggington (right) takes on Paulie Malignaggi in the international welterweight championship PA 20/25 Ted Cheeseman celebrates his victory over Jack Sellars in the Super-Welterweight contest PA 21/25 Ohara Davies during his fight against Derry Mathews PA 22/25 Lee Selby after during his fight against Andoni Gago PA 23/25 Derry Matthews (right) during his match against Ohara Davies PA 24/25 Dave Allen celebrates his victory over David Howe PA 25/25 Retired boxer Frank Bruno at The O2 PA 1/25 Tony Bellew celebrates victory over David Haye alongside promoter Eddie Hearn (left) and trainer Dave Coldwell (right) after the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 2/25 David Haye (right) embraces Tony Bellew after losing the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 3/25 Tony Bellew (right) speaks with David Haye after his victory during the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 4/25 David Haye is knocked through the ropes by Tony Bellew during the heavyweight contest at The O2. 5/25 David Haye is knocked down by Tony Bellew REUTERS 6/25 David Haye falls through the ropes Getty Images 7/25 David Haye (left) takes on Tony Bellew during the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 8/25 David Haye (left) takes on Tony Bellew during the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 9/25 David Haye (left) takes on Tony Bellew during the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 10/25 David Haye (left) takes on Tony Bellew during the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 11/25 David Haye (left) takes on Tony Bellew during the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 12/25 David Haye makes his ring entrance before the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 13/25 Tony Bellew before the heavyweight contest at The O2. PA 14/25 Katie Taylor celebrates her victory over Monica Gentili. PA 15/25 Katie Taylor (right) takes on Monica Gentili in the super-featherweight contest at The O2. PA 16/25 Sam Eggington (right) takes on Paulie Malignaggi in the international welterweight championship PA 17/25 Chris Eubank Jr in the crowd PA 18/25 Ohara Davies celebrates after victory over Derry Mathews PA 19/25 Sam Eggington (right) takes on Paulie Malignaggi in the international welterweight championship PA 20/25 Ted Cheeseman celebrates his victory over Jack Sellars in the Super-Welterweight contest PA 21/25 Ohara Davies during his fight against Derry Mathews PA 22/25 Lee Selby after during his fight against Andoni Gago PA 23/25 Derry Matthews (right) during his match against Ohara Davies PA 24/25 Dave Allen celebrates his victory over David Howe PA 25/25 Retired boxer Frank Bruno at The O2 PA

If anything, Haye’s Haymaker Promotions and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom, who promote Bellew, will look on Saturday as a satisfactory bit of business. A non-title fight between two men in their mid-30s, neither notably active in the heavyweight division, succeeded in becoming a big Sky pay-per-view event, with intense public interest drawing in casual fans as well as boxing heads.

The nasty build-up excited popular interest and then a classy bout helped everyone forget the ugliness. Hardly a new concept — but the first rule of promotion is that if it works once, it works twice. Having seen Haye-Bellew make millions, boxers and promoters great and small will surely continue to see the gutter as the best place from which to seek the stars. Tyson Fury still has to return to this division. It is not likely that the tone of debate is going to be elevated any time soon.

As for the fighters themselves? Haye spoke of a return fixture, but why bother? He is a smart man and although he has been a dedicated professional and a deserving champion, there has always been more to his life than boxing. He should not and will not wish to become the new Shannon Briggs, mouthing his way around press conferences in search of second place on a younger generation’s bill-posters.

Bellew, meanwhile, speaks so much of his simple wish to train, fight and get home to his family that it often feels like schtick rather than the unvarnished truth. There are more fights out there for him at heavyweight now, but one wonders how many of them he really wants. For a brief moment, the world is Tony Bellew’s oyster. But does he actually want to eat oysters?

For we happy punters, meanwhile, a great spring of British boxing has only just begun. Ant Crolla reprises his fight with Jorge Linares in Manchester on March 25. Amir Khan fights his old sparring partner Manny Pacquiao in the UAE on April 23. And six days later comes the big one: Anthony Joshua versus Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium with three heavyweight belts on the line.

Haye and Bellew’s cracking bout was a very satisfying start to an intriguing three months of action. Call it off? No, not a chance.

Australia sound an early Ashes alarm

England are on a long break from five-day cricket ahead of the Champions Trophy, but the Ashes in the winter is nudging into the mind. And almost from nowhere Australia seem to be clicking as a serious Test outfit, making a much more respectable fist of their tour to India than England did before Christmas. There’s a lot of pyjama cricket to play between now and Christmas, but no-one should underestimate what lies in wait Down Under this winter.

We can only sing, drink and despair

Off to Cardiff for another Six Nations punishment beating this Friday — and the default Welsh melancholia has already kicked in: ie we are doomed, worse than Italy, destined for a No9 world ranking and another group-of-death World Cup draw, Rob Howley should be packed off now to that ice cream van in Tenby, etc, etc. A win against Ireland would be nice but would probably hand the championship to England. So what to do? Despair, drink, sing, repeat, I suppose. The Welsh way.

Refreshed Murray can lift Indian sign

Great to see Andy Murray recovered from the shingles and looking a lot more powerful at the Dubai Open than he did at the Australian Open. A decent break from competition seems to have refreshed him. He dropped only one set in his tournament win in Dubai and goes to Indian Wells well ahead of Novak Djokovic on both ranking points and form. Murray has never won Indian Wells. 2017 could just be the year to change that.