Eddie Hearn has questioned the nature of David Haye’s preparation ahead of Haye’s eagerly-anticipated heavyweight showdown with Tony Bellew.

The British pair fight at London’s O2 Arena on March 4. While Hearn claimed his fighter Bellew had been obsessively focused throughout the build-up, the promoter seemed less than impressed at Haye’s approach.

There is no doubt former two-weight world champion Haye, under the guidance of Shane McGuigan, is in notable shape. However, several photos posted on Haye’s Instagram account — including him playing basketball on a yacht and beach volleyball in warmer climates — left Hearn perplexed.

Hearn wrote in his Daily Mail column: “There’s only a few weeks until David Haye and Tony Bellew get unleashed on each other on March 4 at The O2. There’s something about the preparations that has made me think.

“Haye, to judge from what I’ve seen and heard, seems to have been sunning himself in a variety of time zones while Bellew has been locked away in a Sheffield hotel, thinking only about their fight.

“A lot of people see this as a one-sided fight and Tony is the underdog, no doubt about that. But is David ready to go to some horrible, dark places to win? I wonder about that.

“Haye has so many questions to answer — does he have enough left in the tank, can he respond if he doesn’t get Tony out of there early, like he seems to think he will? If it gets ugly, will he have enough to turn it back in his favour? I’m looking forward to finding out.”

The build-up to the fight has been particularly ill-tempered, with Haye throwing a punch at Bellew during a news conference last November. Bellew was also left disgusted after Haye threatened to put him in a hospital when they finally clash in London.