Tony Bellew Splits With Arnie

[wrimc]

Tony its only half hour away on the motor way, who will train you for your up comeing fight? and what will you do for sparring?

Can't do liverpool to manny in half hr unless your in a car driven by a loon who has no points on his licence and doesn't give a eff about speed cameras.

I know a couple of kids from the Thornton estate that fit the mould.

You from Thornton?

[Frankie Gavin]

I ent going no where, I thoroughly enjoy my time at arnies gym hard training an a close family unit, I am sorry to see Tony leave but thats a decision I believe was hard for ton to make, but I am improving in every fight an believe this year I will be British champ at the very least I'm sure I will be European by the end of the year an that will be down to my improvement under arnie

[Matt W]

Good luck Frankie, hope to see you joining DeGale in winning major titles this year.

[Bomber 1]

I've always had huge respect for the way Tony conducts himself on here, but I'm sorry to say that this is the first time I think he's not being completely honest.
To be frank that commute is nothing in the scheme of things as most of us know through experience (Most people have a longer commute than that and will do longer 'work' hours than Tony does as a pro) and historically any fighter aspiring to reach the top will make far bigger sacrifices than that for a benefit like getting access to the best trainer for them.
I can understand why Tony wants to have a 'neutral' angle like this for the split given he's clearly a nice guy and gets on with Arnie, but this reeks of 'advice' from you know who and his team on the basis of his last couple of performances.... different scenario, but for me this has shades of the Khan and Harrison split.

Nothing like that, I speak with Arnie and consulted him before anyone!! If I'm not happy traveling for 45 mins to train then do 45 mins coming home then that quite clearly is my choice, Arnie is a good coach and like I say it's not his fault at all, if I'm unhappy when I arrive for training I'm gonna be useless in the gym and that's no good to anyone.. People need to accept that you don't have to fall out and start a big thing about me moving gym... Me and Arnie will continue to be friends and that's the top and bottom of it..

[Tommy Gunn13]

I ent going no where, I thoroughly enjoy my time at arnies gym hard training an a close family unit, I am sorry to see Tony leave but thats a decision I believe was hard for ton to make, but I am improving in every fight an believe this year I will be British champ at the very least I'm sure I will be European by the end of the year an that will be down to my improvement under arnie

Good lad

[Deserter]

Nothing like that, I speak with Arnie and consulted him before anyone!! If I'm not happy traveling for 45 mins to train then do 45 mins coming home then that quite clearly is my choice, Arnie is a good coach and like I say it's not his fault at all, if I'm unhappy when I arrive for training I'm gonna be useless in the gym and that's no good to anyone.. People need to accept that you don't have to fall out and start a big thing about me moving gym... Me and Arnie will continue to be friends and that's the top and bottom of it..

Tony, how far will you be travelling (in time, rather than distance) to your new gym, given we all know that getting across a city can take forever based on locations? If it's as close as 15 mins away from your home you're still only saving one hour a day, 5 days a week or so.
I apologise for appearing disbelieving, but given the negligigble level of 'sacrifice' we're talking about here it can surely only mean one of two things:
1) You're not 'hungry' enough for success to make this sacrifice... and based on everything I've read from you to date I find this hard to believe
2) You believe you've reached a certain level or plateau with Arnie and are ready for a new challenge - Arnie would understand this more than most given he himself moved around as a fighter so I've no doubt you'll remain friends
Let me give you a hypothetical scenario - if Freddy Roach or a similar calibre of trainer set up 45 mins away from you and wanted to train you, would you turn him down because of the commute?

[hurlock]

i thought it showed commitment & a seriousness gavin & bellew uppin stick's.if the travel situation is true it show's your enthusiam & motivation has gone as you would rather entertain a lesser coach???

deffo someone been blowing down the ear.

[steelcity 65]

I am shocked to see this as arnie is a top trainer and is so focused on what his fighters targets,but travelling is horrible when ur doin it every day ,sparin u have to travel but to do ur dailey session after raveling will make u unhappy, I thought u wud av moved to manchester tony like frankie,I'm gutted for u both but hope everything works out for u and Arnie

[Final round]

While you're at it, what's the contents of your fridge Tony....

[Deserter]

While you're at it, what's the contents of your fridge Tony....

Yep, the sheer cheek of boxing fans asking questions on a public forum...

[Final round]

While you're at it, what's the contents of your fridge Tony....

Yep, the sheer cheek of boxing fans asking questions on a public forum...

Questioning his answers more like...

[Asterix]

Deserter, I think I'm on the same page as you. Tony's answer is fine either way, but I definitely think the true answer is in between the lines.

It's a good idea to change if something doesn't feel right, whatever it is.

[ptwbuk]

Fair play to you Tony, I have to say Arnie comes across as a really balanced guy, especially since he hung up his gloves, I have to say when I saw him boxing I never saw him being a trainer.
There aren't many sports in the world that the people we follow take the time and effort to come and give us actual answers to us fans questions, I think both Tony and Frankie should be given a bit more respect for coming on here and letting us know the score on things. When you are punishing your body day in day out to reach top physical condition, an extra 30 minutes on your journey makes all the difference, 30 minutes there, 30 minutes back, say 5 times a week equates to 5 hours recover/resting/time with your family. This all adds up and contributes to your state of mind and general happiness which of course is key to anyones success. I think it's unfair to question someones hunger when all these things contribute hugely to success.

[jBacca]

Can't do liverpool to manny in half hr unless your in a car driven by a loon who has no points on his licence and doesn't give a eff about speed cameras.

I know a couple of kids from the Thornton estate that fit the mould.

You from Thornton?

No mate, originally Huyton, now living in Southport. Know a few lads from Thornton and I'm up there a fair bit.

[Deserter]

While you're at it, what's the contents of your fridge Tony....

Yep, the sheer cheek of boxing fans asking questions on a public forum...

Questioning his answers more like...

The clue is in the title mate. This is the British Boxing FORUM i.e. it's for open discussion. Now unless I've missed the small print which says that any boxer who comes on here should be treated like a demi-God, I'll continue to treat them just like I would anyone else.
Good to know that should anyone ever answer one of your questions though you'll just accept it at face value and never ever come back with a reply that does anything but agree with them - will make for some great debates

[lefty]

I have a more serious and urgent question,who would win in a boxing match between pat sharp and one of the chuckle brothers?!Doesnt matter which one 8)

[Deserter]

I think both Tony and Frankie should be given a bit more respect for coming on here and letting us know the score on things.

Fella, I think you need to learn the crucial difference between respect and deference. Just because I don't roll over and take everything a pro fighter says as gospel doesn't mean I don't respect Tony as both a fighter and as a person - I can see you're relatively new to the forum so I defy you to find a single post where I've been anything but supportive towards Tony historically, for example.
But here's the thing - I'm an adult male, not a fan-boy, so when I read something and it doesn't add up, I'll express that. It's the whole point of a forum and if Tony chooses to engage with fans on here, he'll be the first one to acknowledge that you can't expect unequivocal support or a bunch of posters prostrating themselves before him every time.
With the greatest of respect you're also being a bit naive - anyone who's been around boxing for a while, as you clearly have, will have seen countless examples of times where the official 'line' has proven to be a fallacy over time, whether this relates to the split between a trainer and a fighter, the reason behind pulling out of a fight etc, etc, etc.
Tony could have chosen to remain silent on this one and instead chose to offer an explanation on a public forum - that was his freedom of choice to do so. And based on:
1) The fact that up until extremely recently Tony had been nothing but evangelical about his whole set-up with Arnie and had never made any reference to the commute
2) The fact that some pro fighters will spend weeks rather than hours away from their families to prepare or travel far more to be in what they believe to be the right camp
3) The fact that pro boxers generally have far more 'down-time' than the rest of us to spend with their families
Is it really that surprising that some of us find it hard to swallow his explanation completely? Really? As with any forum I've got the right to express an opinion - we're not living in the old Soviet Union here. Tony's had his say, I have been honest and said I'm not buying it completely and I think I've been fairly articulate and rational in terms of explaining why. If you think that's disrespectful then to be honest the forum might as well be shut down, because if everything a pro says has to be treated as unarguable fact, we're not going to get much in the way of debate on here

[lefthook82]

I'm with Deserter here. But I guess we just have to accept the official line

[jessi]

bomber is there any chance you may join back with arnie in the near future ?
good luck in febuary anyway, i will be there, catch him with another short sharp left hook mate !

[Jeff Thomas]

Its definately out of the blue and suprising given that they seem to work so well together- but a boxer has to do whats right for them at the time, best of luck to both i'm sure both will have much success regardless.

Re comments from boxers about having a superb trainer they are always going to believe they have the best trainer- because if they didn't they'd be somewhere else. We've got tons of boxing 'trainers' in Blackpool alone- and I'm positive every one of their boxers thinks they are with the best trainer in the area. Just the way it is- if I was training with someone I thought was a shit trainer i'd be daft wouldn't i? Always cracks me up.

Best way to judge a trainer- look at their results in 50-50 and 60-40 fights. Arnie's not done a lot wrong so far has he and his set up looks great. Pad work looks good and they look to have a really good blend of non-boxing work from what i've seen and read.Best of luck to both lads.

[Bomber 1]

I've give the reasons and I'll no longer elaborate on it, it's mine and Arnies business and the main thing is we remain good friends and want the best for each other, thanks guys ;)

[Jeff Thomas]

I've give the reasons and I'll no longer elaborate on it, it's mine and Arnies business and the main thing is we remain good friends and want the best for each other, thanks guys ;)

Fair play Tony and to be honest I think its unfair for anyone to ask of anymore info really.

[1southpaw]

45 min journey, 44 miles exactly.. Long drive some days.. Sparring is never an issue when money is involved..

why didn't you stay in manchester during the week and go home weekends ????

[doctorboxing]

Of course its up to Tony to do whatever he wants with his career and absolutely his prerogative to choose his coach.

Do I believe its all to do with a 45 min commute? Do I bollocks. However its Bombers choice and I hope the move works out well for him as he is a top talent.

[Lenny]

Of course its up to Tony to do whatever he wants with his career and absolutely his prerogative to choose his coach.

Do I believe its all to do with a 45 min commute? Do I bollocks. However its Bombers choice and I hope the move works out well for him as he is a top talent.

Here, here. I don't really buy it, but then as a fan it's none of my business. Tony's under no obligation to let us know anymore just because he posts on here. Whatever if he feels it'll help his career then fair play.