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http://news.boxrec.com/news/2010/ricky- ... tmas-cheer

I like Hatton.

He makes a good point. We're so quick to say that someone needs to step up when they're walking over their opponents, but when someone has some challenges we're then saying they're not good enough.

Maybe the last 2 fights for Bomber are the ones he has learnt the most from, more beneficial than if he had knocked Ajisafe and McKenzie out quickly.

Yes, class there from Ricky. Could you imagine Tony's promoter saying the same thing about... say... Scott Quigg if he had a scare or three????

The thing I disagree with Ricky though is that his "scares" were against European level operators (Magee and Thaxton) and possibly a British champion (I remember Jason Rowland hurting Hatton to the body). Thats about it really. 1) Magee fight aside his "scares" were not as bad Bellew - the Thaxton fight was a terrible cut but Ricky dominated the action and 2) These guys were much better operators than McKenzie and Ajisafe.

The other thing I disagree with is that Hatton says "he'll be at championship level soon". Well apparently he already is at the level. He's made 2 defences of the Commonwealth title. Sadly its become a "prospects" title and not a champions title.

Although absolute class from Ricky and I do echo his statements. Tony has undoubted potential and I'm sure he will learn from these mistakes.

stujones wrote:Yes, class there from Ricky. Could you imagine Tony's promoter saying the same thing about... say... Scott Quigg if he had a scare or three????

This is exactly what I was going to say, Stu, but thought people might think I was stirring. It's true though.

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:

stujones wrote:Yes, class there from Ricky. Could you imagine Tony's promoter saying the same thing about... say... Scott Quigg if he had a scare or three????

This is exactly what I was going to say, Stu, but thought people might think I was stirring. It's true though.

good point, i hadn't even considered that

and anyway, even if FW did come across all magnanimous..... we'd all say he was trying to poach someone else's fighter

Counter-puncher wrote:

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:

stujones wrote:Yes, class there from Ricky. Could you imagine Tony's promoter saying the same thing about... say... Scott Quigg if he had a scare or three????

This is exactly what I was going to say, Stu, but thought people might think I was stirring. It's true though.

good point, i hadn't even considered that

and anyway, even if FW did come across all magnanimous..... we'd all say he was trying to poach someone else's fighter

Also true mate, good point.

Ok then, with that in mind ... is Ricky feathering his nest incase fWank decides Bellew isn't worth anymore of his money to invest in?

tonyevs wrote:Ok then, with that in mind ... is Ricky feathering his nest incase fWank decides Bellew isn't worth anymore of his money to invest in?

I just think it's one boxer to another...seems genuine enough. I can't see him setting out to chase him; and Bomber has an incredibly high opinion of Al.

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:

tonyevs wrote:Ok then, with that in mind ... is Ricky feathering his nest incase fWank decides Bellew isn't worth anymore of his money to invest in?

I just think it's one boxer to another...seems genuine enough. I can't see him setting out to chase him; and Bomber has an incredibly high opinion of Al.

A bit of both I'd imagine....but no doubt Ricky comes over as a nice kid in boxing's shark infested waters. But since he came out with something like the country should be proud that Haye/Harrison was made, I take what he says with a pinch of salt.

Ian 'Mr' McNeilly wrote:

tonyevs wrote:Ok then, with that in mind ... is Ricky feathering his nest incase fWank decides Bellew isn't worth anymore of his money to invest in?

I just think it's one boxer to another...seems genuine enough. I can't see him setting out to chase him; and Bomber has an incredibly high opinion of Al.

It was meant tongue in cheek actually.
Saying that though ... Will he decide to cash in on Bellew sooner now that things have been highlighted?
How much use will Bellew then serve? Is he a big ticket seller? Bigger than Paul Smith was ....?

MightyWarrior wrote: But since he came out with something like the country should be proud that Haye/Harrison was made, I take what he says with a pinch of salt.

Did he? Dear me...

tonyevs wrote:It was meant tongue in cheek actually.
Saying that though ... Will he decide to cash in on Bellew sooner now that things have been highlighted?
How much use will Bellew then serve? Is he a big ticket seller? Bigger than Paul Smith was ....?

How do you envisage him cashing in on Bellew? I could imagine Warren making Cleverly vs Bellew, but would you say that's cashing in?

stujones wrote:Yes, class there from Ricky. Could you imagine Tony's promoter saying the same thing about... say... Scott Quigg if he had a scare or three????

The thing I disagree with Ricky though is that his "scares" were against European level operators (Magee and Thaxton) and possibly a British champion (I remember Jason Rowland hurting Hatton to the body). Thats about it really. 1) Magee fight aside his "scares" were not as bad Bellew - the Thaxton fight was a terrible cut but Ricky dominated the action and 2) These guys were much better operators than McKenzie and Ajisafe.

The other thing I disagree with is that Hatton says "he'll be at championship level soon". Well apparently he already is at the level. He's made 2 defences of the Commonwealth title. Sadly its become a "prospects" title and not a champions title.

Although absolute class from Ricky and I do echo his statements. Tony has undoubted potential and I'm sure he will learn from these mistakes.

Good points all round, Hatton does come accross as a boxing fan through and through and often says good things about boxers that are not under his promotions although some have been found to be a bit dodgey.

I think people critisise Bellew because he and his fans do a lot of talking about how he will smash a guy out easy and then don't deliver. This happened for both the Ajisafe and McKenzie fights. It's fine being confident but there is a thin line between that and blind arrogance and Bellew sometimes over steps into blind arrogance. It can also come across very disrespectful as well and this type of talk will only get the better boxers more encouraged to prove him wrong. Saying that I like the fact that Bellew does explain what happened in his fights and admits where he went worng. If you're doing things worng and still winning there can't be too many compalints but sometimes hindsight is too late if you've lost.

Ajisafe and McKenzie may prove to be good fighters if Bellew does go on to European or higher honours, possibly more Ajisafe than McKenzie because he has suffered too many bad luck decisions in his career.

tonyevs wrote:Ok then, with that in mind ... is Ricky feathering his nest incase fWank decides Bellew isn't worth anymore of his money to invest in?

After watching Frank try and teach Bomber the right uppercut, what could Ricky possibly show him ?

Asterix wrote:

tonyevs wrote:It was meant tongue in cheek actually.
Saying that though ... Will he decide to cash in on Bellew sooner now that things have been highlighted?
How much use will Bellew then serve? Is he a big ticket seller? Bigger than Paul Smith was ....?

How do you envisage him cashing in on Bellew? I could imagine Warren making Cleverly vs Bellew, but would you say that's cashing in?

Yes.
For Bellew to come a cropper against a lesser guy .. especially one out of his own promotion company .. would be an absolute disaster. All that money promoting a guy, for that to them benefit the guy who knocks him out

For whatever reasons, Tony Bellew has looked very shaky as he has moved up in class .. full credit for him to have still pulled it out and won. He has certainly shown great fighting heart for sure. But if he is to go further up the ladder ... he is going to meet guys vastly more tallented than his two last guys. Guys who will hit harder and have the skills to get a few more big shots through also.

Obviously not a great comparison. But look how DeGale has looked since he moved up.

I don't think Bellew's in too bad a position right now. Expectations have been lowered which should mean less pressure (if he's of the right mindset), he's learnt he's got a fairly solid set of whiskers without blemishing his record, he's been in with a couple of game challengers who've helped to highlight exactly where improvements are required and whatever problems he might've had in the past, as far as being an avoided fighter goes, will have evapourated.

It's good to hear Hatton chiming in with something positive, there's no good that'll come from dwelling on the negative. Bellew needs to maintain his focus, drive and determination without letting the pressure to perform consume him. He obviously clicks with his current team so there's no point in any kind of kneejerk upheaval.

He needs to put what's in the past behind him, get some RnR and then come back with a steady head and prove the doubters wrong one fight at a time.

charlieb wrote:I don't think Bellew's in too bad a position right now. Expectations have been lowered which should mean less pressure (if he's of the right mindset), he's learnt he's got a fairly solid set of whiskers without blemishing his record, he's been in with a couple of game challengers who've helped to highlight exactly where improvements are required and whatever problems he might've had in the past, as far as being an avoided fighter goes, will have evapourated.

It's good to hear Hatton chiming in with something positive, there's no good that'll come from dwelling on the negative. Bellew needs to maintain his focus, drive and determination without letting the pressure to perform consume him. He obviously clicks with his current team so there's no point in any kind of kneejerk upheaval.

He needs to put what's in the past behind him, get some RnR and then come back with a steady head and prove the doubters wrong one fight at a time.

I would say he has learned he has good recuperative powers rather than a fairly solid chin.I like Bellew but as he steps up he is going to have to be more elusive,he really is.

mickey1975 wrote:

charlieb wrote:I don't think Bellew's in too bad a position right now. Expectations have been lowered which should mean less pressure (if he's of the right mindset), he's learnt he's got a fairly solid set of whiskers without blemishing his record, he's been in with a couple of game challengers who've helped to highlight exactly where improvements are required and whatever problems he might've had in the past, as far as being an avoided fighter goes, will have evapourated.

It's good to hear Hatton chiming in with something positive, there's no good that'll come from dwelling on the negative. Bellew needs to maintain his focus, drive and determination without letting the pressure to perform consume him. He obviously clicks with his current team so there's no point in any kind of kneejerk upheaval.

He needs to put what's in the past behind him, get some RnR and then come back with a steady head and prove the doubters wrong one fight at a time.

I would say he has learned he has good recuperative powers rather than a fairly solid chin.I like Bellew but as he steps up he is going to have to be more elusive,he really is.

Splitting hairs there I'd say, that second knockdown would've had a few fighters seeing stars the day after. Whether it's the merit of his chin or ability to recover, he knows he can take a shot without it spelling curtains.

charlieb wrote:
Splitting hairs there I'd say, that second knockdown would've had a few fighters seeing stars the day after. Whether it's the merit of his chin or ability to recover, he knows he can take a shot without it spelling curtains.

To be honest, I don't think you go down like that if you've got a real solid chin - Tony was OUT.
And it was like hitting the canvas actually woke him up. It was a really unusual knock down...Still, he recovers quickly, a bit like Carl Thompson maybe. He showed no ill effects from the knockdown straight after, which was what made it so bizzare.

I tend to side with the idea he might be a bit weight drained - a move to cruiser could be the answer. I don't think they're going to be hitting that much harder up there, and his punch is still going to spell curtains for most. And his punch resistance could well move up a notch as a result.

Watch the fight again and decide if Tony Bellew has a solid chin ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbn4sWkWhEE

Neither punch he went down with was what you would call a sharp KO punch .. the punch that Ajisafe put him down with was merely an arm punch. OK he was a little off balance with that one - but he did get up with stiff legs from it.

The higher he moves, the guys there will be putting sharper punches on him. These may just scramble his head that little bit more ..
Tony Bellew is an exciting strong fighter for sure. But it will take very careful match-making to take him to a world title if domestic guys are doing this to him already.

tonyevs wrote:Watch the fight again and decide if Tony Bellew has a solid chin ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbn4sWkWhEE

Neither punch he went down with was what you would call a sharp KO punch ..

The first punch caught Bellew high on the back/side of the head and it's hard to tell whether it was the momentum of the shot that put him over or whether it messed with his equilibrium.

The second knockdown was on the back of an absolute peach of a shot, rewatching it, I'm surprised it didn't do damage to Bellew's orbital or cheek bone.

I think it's a difficult call to make, Thompson was put on queer street plenty of times whereas Bellew seemed none the worse for wear after being put over. Again, the shots were nowhere near the point of his chin and the momentum involved as well as his balance at the time they connected make it hard to tell what sort of immediate effect they had other than putting him over.

Bellew can box and has heart. He also has power and always seems to be stalking; I like to see him box, even in the amateurs. Getting dropped and getting up and winning is not perfect but it is winning. And it is entertaining; a boxer with power, heart and who can be hurt is real top drawer entertainment for my money; It didn't hurt Felix Trinidad too much did it? There are no perfect boxers; it seems the ones who moan the most about things haven't tried a sport, (not necessarily boxing); if they had done they'd be more understanding of the realities of life. I'll watch Bellew again and expect to be entertained. There are some very accomplished boxers I'd not be too bothered about.

A nice bit of encouragement by someone who knows the job inside and out.

I would describe Bellew as more Edison Miranda than Felix Trinidad. Neither guy is an insult to be likened to I would add.

Maybe theres more critism because of Bellews silly boasts and silly throat cutting jestures ...

... So now the comparison has gone from Felix Trinidad & Edison Miranda .... to Amir Khan & Ricky Burns..
Maybe somebody would like to throw in Glen Catley and Barry Jones next ...

Maybe intercontinental belt holders next?