Tony Bellew says fight with Oleksandr Usyk has been agreed...
The Bomber was speaking on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast Show.
Tony Bellew has exclusively revealed to talkSPORT he has agreed to fight Oleksandr Usyk in the UK...
The Bomber, 35, said his team have held productive talks with the undisputed cruiserweight world champion’s team, as Bellew targets another upset.
Ukrainian boxer Usyk is viewed as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters after a unanimous points decision victory against Murat Gassiev in the World Boxing Super Series final.
And just days after telling talkSPORT he wanted to ‘chin’ Usyk and then retire immediately, Bellew claimed talks towards making the bout happen are gathering momentum.
Bellew said on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast Show: “We have spoke and it’s agreed that it will happen in the UK and we’ve agreed on the timescale for it to happen.”
“It won’t be at Goodison Park. I don’t get nervous for fights but when I fought at Goodison [a third round knockout victory over Ilunga Makabu in May 2016] I was absolutely petrified.
ValMar wrote: ↑30 Jul 2018, 11:24
I like this, although I can not imagine Bellew as a winner.
I cannot imagine Tony Bellew making cruiserweight ever again (without draining himself significantly), because he looked to be at least 240lbs when he was ringside at the Whyte-Parker bout.
He was 236lbs when he weighed himself when attending the Joshua-Klitschko weigh-in for his Sky Sports punditry role. And he's currently looking much bigger than that.
ValMar wrote: ↑30 Jul 2018, 11:24
I like this, although I can not imagine Bellew as a winner.
I cannot imagine Tony Bellew making cruiserweight ever again (without draining himself significantly), because he looked to be at least 240lbs when he was ringside at the Whyte-Parker bout.
He was 236lbs when he weighed himself when attending the Joshua-Klitschko weigh-in for his Sky Sports punditry role. And he's currently looking much bigger than that.
The match at HW would be meaningless - without any belt.
Bellew wants to fight and doesn't see much danger, whilst Usyk wants to see what it's like to go in with a heavyweight. This could be Usyk's first and last try out in the top division. Or maybe just the start of something really big.
I can't see this being at Cruiser despite how much Bellew might fancy all those belts.
It just seems like too much weight to lose for Bellew and too little in it for Usyk at Cruiserweight. Bellew did look huge the other day and he made Haye look like a Cruiserweight. He's probably also convinced that Usyk, like Haye, is not a natural heavyweight (regardless if whatever weight he may or may not put on).
Surely this has to be at heavyweight? How on earth would Tony win at Cruiserweight?
bellew could be healthy at cw, he was already soft there and was downright flabby at like 210, not like he added loads of muscles. hes not even that big of a cw, usyk for example clearly has a thicker build and is less soft at about the same height
the weight is relevant though, because if he has a lot of flab to lose and is coming down from like 250 his training could be too focused on that and not enough on skill, tactics, etc
but i dont think bellew is some naturally big ass cruiser whose now too big for the division for any reason other then fat and lack of keeping weight off between fights. if he cant make cw thats his own fault
I think that Tony Bellew has never dreamed to got a chance to become the undisputed champion in any division.
It seems, he got the chance, and he will surely make the weight. Anyway, I think he will lose..................
If Tony is smart, he will go in Cruiser with him for 4 belts. Usyke will outbox him in 12 rounds. If Tony wins, as he said, he will retire then with the bells. That's more money than heavy.
kych wrote: ↑31 Jul 2018, 02:44
If Tony is smart, he will go in Cruiser with him for 4 belts. Usyke will outbox him in 12 rounds. If Tony wins, as he said, he will retire then with the bells. That's more money than heavy.
For Bellew it's better to fight at cruiserweights because of the belts chance, but for Usyk it's better to make this bout at heavyweights, if he plans to step up right now.
Bellew should fight at Cruiser. He's not a HW and won't weigh more than 10 pounds over 200. In fact Usyk would probably outweigh him by 15 pounds on fight night. Fighting at Cruiser will probably make Bellew more fit for the fight and give him the ability to perform better. Don't know why Hearn and ppl around Bellew want him to fight at HW. The only reason they fought Haye at HW was because Haye would never make 200. Bellew can still easily do so.
