If not for its x-rated content, the five months of build-up that preceded this fight would have been worthy of pantomime. In the end, British boxing’s grudge match of the moment came down to a few simple questions: is Tony Bellew a heavyweight? Is he competitive enough at this level to test a former world champion? Is he, ultimately, good enough to share a ring with David Haye? “Oh no he isn’t,” they said. Oh yes, he is.

And yet still, even after this eleventh-round victory for the unfancied Liverpudlian, people will rightly ask whether he won this fight or Haye lost it. There was no masterclass from either man here, far from it, and it all could have been quite different if, in the pivotal sixth, Haye had not suffered an apparent injury from which he did not physically or mentally recover. The tables turned with a twang of his Achilles tendon.

From there on, Haye was a walking cadaver, and yet Bellew still struggled to find enough power to put the heavier man out of his misery. He made five visits to the stool and back before finally ending what, by that point, had become something of a charade. A dead-eyed, vacant Haye was already stumbling to the canvas when he was hit by a final left to the head. Its impact sent his exhausted body through the ropes.

David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew Tony Bellew was first to the ring at the O2 Arena. Getty Images David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew David Haye made Bellew wait as he made his way to the ring slowly. Getty Images David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew Bellew impressed in the first round but Haye thought back to take the advantage. Getty Images David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew Haye was leading the fight when he suffered an injury tp his ankle. Getty Images David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew Haye limps back to his corner after suffering the injury. Getty Images David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew Trainer Shane McGuigan had to remove tape that he put around Haye's ankle. Getty Images David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew With Haye injured, Bellew was able to attack him at will without fear of being tagged. Getty Images David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew Haye was sent crashing out of the ring by a left hook to the head by Bellew. AFP/Getty Images David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew Bellew celebrates his victory over Haye. Getty Images David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew Bellew celebrates after the fight is stopped in round 11. Getty Images David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew Haye was pulled out of the fight by trainer Shane McGuigan. Getty Images David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew Haye looked disconsolate after the fight. Getty Images David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew Haye confirmed he intends to remain in the ring and will not retire. Getty Images David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew Bellew and Haye were both complimentary of each other afterwards despite the rivalry. Getty Images David Haye vs Tony Bellew - in pictures David Haye vs Tony Bellew Both Haye and Bellew said they were open to a rematch. Getty Images

Only the O2 Arena’s numerous pockets of noisy Scousers would have considered such an outcome realistic at the start of the night. For Bellew to step up from cruiserweight and defeat a former world champion in the maximum category seemed, to everyone else at ringside, farfetched at best. The outsider’s entrance did not inspire confidence either. There was a smile from Bellew as he walked in to the theme from Z Cars, but it was a noticeably nervous one, which compared poorly to Haye’s cold, assured demeanour.

However, while Haye’s entrance was composed, his start to the fight was the very opposite, and he burst out of his corner like he meant every threat that has left his mouth in the past few months. Haye spent much of the first swinging and missing, which allowed Bellew to stick to his game plan of dodging the heavy shots and picking his counters. In those initial stages, before fatigue got the better of both men, Bellew had the speed of foot too. Every time Haye tried to end things early, he evaded him.

Bellew asserted himself in the first round(Getty) (Getty Images)

The favourite cooled down in the second and started to gradually accumulate the rounds he would need for a comfortable victory on points. But Haye had no intention of taking this the distance. To be first in line for an Anthony Joshua fight he would need a quick and brutal finish, so he fought like he wanted blood, repeatedly overreaching in search of a devastating right down the pipe that would sweep his rival into the stands.

Two big shots in the fourth particularly tested Bellew, and Haye remained well in control until the sixth, at which point that Achilles went and the fight took a dramatic, decisive turn. Before the bell could sound again, Haye had hit the canvas three times, rising on each occasion but only doing so while writhing in pain. Suddenly, Bellew not only had a chance to win, but to end it. One monumental punch would do, and yet it did not come. Haye survived the round.

Haye limped back to his corner at the end of the sixth round (Getty) (Getty Images)

This was, essentially, the story for the remainder of the fight until the eleventh. Haye, his body broken, sat on the ropes and offered nothing but grapples in a bid to buy time. Bellew, exhausted himself, could not muster enough energy to end it. This inability to find a finisher on the Liverpudlian’s part almost seemed to amuse Haye and, in one bizarre moment, he dropped his hands, flexed his pectorals and invited Bellew on to him in a show of hollow, stupid pride. A crowd which had started the night largely on his side turned and heckled in response.