BoxRec

BELLEW REPLACES JOHNSON ON LEEDS BILL
Liverpool star eager to push on to third World title shot
Tony Bellew has replaced Callum Johnson on the bill at the First Direct Arena in Leeds on September 5, live on Sky Sports.
Liverpool star Bellew is hunting a third World title shot and first up at Cruiserweight after he gained revenge over bitter foe Nathan Cleverly in a rematch in November and returned to the ring in June with a stoppage victory following a stint in America filming Creed, the latest film in the iconic Rocky series.
Bellew takes the place of unbeaten Light Heavyweight Johnson who has been forced to pull out of a clash with Southampton’s Tony Hill with a virus.
‘The Bomber’ has been in camp with trainer Dave Coldwell, who’s duties will be carried out by Tony Sims on fight night with Coldwell in Texas for Jamie McDonnell’s WBA World Bantamweight title rematch with Tomoki Kameda on Sunday September 6 live on Sky Sports, and Bellew
“Eddie and I have things planned going forward but this outing in Leeds is a bonus for me to stay active and try things out,” said Bellew.
“I'd been ill ahead of my last fight, I’m not making excuses, but I just chose to get the rounds in and in the end I did get him out of there. It was good to get that through that return from eight months out and in Leeds it's another vital building block to another World title shot.”
Bellew is part of a huge night of action in Yorkshire as Josh Warrington defends his Commonwealth and WBC International Featherweight titles against Joel Brunker.
Martin Murray faces Jose Miguel Torres for the WBA Inter Continental Super Middleweight title, there’s a pair of English title bouts as Andy Townend defends his Super Featherweight crown against Lee Glover while Isaac Lowe and Jamie Speight contest the vacant Featherweight strap and unbeaten Birmingham Super Flyweight star Kal Yafai is in action.

Tickets are on general sale now with tickets priced at £30, £40, £60 and £100 available from the First Direct Arena on 0844 248 1585 and at www.firstdirectarena.com. VIP tickets priced at £150 are available exclusively from Matchroom Boxing on 01277 359900 and at www.matchroomboxing.com.

I don't care about any of that, I'm just looking forward to seeing Johnny whip up the excitement levels in the crowd again. Got to love Leeds bills...

Good old "no excuses" Tony.

With just over a week to go, I wonder what light-heavy with a record of 1 win in their last 3 or 4 fights will they dig up ?

Hearn said that no one here wants to watch Bellew in an 8 rounder against a journeyman, so he would be fighting on Jamie McDonnell's undercard in Texas because Dave Coldwell will be out there with McDonnell.

Instead he's now fighting in Leeds, with Tony Sims in the corner(wonder who chose him), in an 8 round knockover job, taking up half an hour of the live show that could be given to a fight worth watching.

...so Johnson's career continues to stumble and go no where, real shame for the guy.

Shame Johnson/Hill was a decent matched fight at this stage Bellew's not going to be involved in anything but a keep busy fight is he. Bigger name...shitter fight (Matchrooms motto the earlier part of this year lets hope its not going back that way)

I just hope he doesn't bring a load of fans, with their nans, start bragging on the big screen about how Liverpool is the greatest fight city in the world, then come out to the Everton tune. He probably will.

[quote="expe"]Hearn said that no one here wants to watch Bellew in an 8 rounder against a journeyman, so he would be fighting on Jamie McDonnell's undercard in Texas because Dave Coldwell will be out there with McDonnell.

Instead he's now fighting in Leeds, with Tony Sims in the corner(wonder who chose him), in an 8 round knockover job, taking up half an hour of the live show that could be given to a fight worth watching.[/quote]

This is my problem with this.

There are two English title fights which look half decent and hope this fight does not take their air time.

Naandrew wrote:

expe wrote:Hearn said that no one here wants to watch Bellew in an 8 rounder against a journeyman, so he would be fighting on Jamie McDonnell's undercard in Texas because Dave Coldwell will be out there with McDonnell.

Instead he's now fighting in Leeds, with Tony Sims in the corner(wonder who chose him), in an 8 round knockover job, taking up half an hour of the live show that could be given to a fight worth watching.[/quote]

This is my problem with this.

There are two English title fights which look half decent and hope this fight does not take their air time.

It will I'm sure annoys me too

Here is the opponent

http://boxrec.com/boxer/467086

You can get him at 33/1 to win. bellew is 1/750

So looks like he is going the Paul Smith route to a world title fight then.

I wonder if he doesn't perform well will it be because of cold or flu??

Get him back in with Ovill. 3rd time lucky I think.

Naandrew wrote:Here is the opponent

http://boxrec.com/boxer/467086

You can get him at 33/1 to win. bellew is 1/750

So looks like he is going the Paul Smith route to a world title fight then.

Pointless

One of the worst opponents ever seen in a British ring for a fighter of Bellew's ability. This takes padded record to a new level but maybe it will make for a good highlight reel KO to promote Creed. Matchmaking at it's worst. Like seeing the schoolyard bully beating up the weakest kid in the school.

PredatorHayds wrote:I wonder if he doesn't perform well will it be because of cold or flu??

Get him back in with Ovill. 3rd time lucky I think.

He will be "boxing to orders" and feeling a "bit rusty" blah blah blah.

A stoppage win should see him screaming at the top of his voice and jumping around the ring like he has beat a credible opponent or something.

Ovil is very inactive as nobody wants to fight him and (I hate to say this) he represents poor odds on the risk/reward scale. The fight with Bellew should be easy to make however Boomer won't go anywhere near him.

I have just read the blokes record - he has won only 1 of his last 7 fights, and that was against an opponent who was 0-23 at the time (he is currently 0-27 look this guy up on the records section and look at his photo !)

bripez wrote:look at his photo !)

fornicating hilarious.

If anyone can make him look good then it's Tony Bellew.

^

If you think that's hilarious you should check out some of his fights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI8BUZ9pUfA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4F9tv7dxKI

[/quote]

Pointless[/quote]

Sums up much of the bill. Yafai, Murray, Hall and Cunnington are all fighting nobodies. Seems like there's a deal to be made by ordering multiple Nicaraguan opponents.

Naandrew wrote:Here is the opponent

http://boxrec.com/boxer/467086

You can get him at 33/1 to win. bellew is 1/750

So looks like he is going the Paul Smith route to a world title fight then.

He's only won one of his last 7.

crusader wrote:^

If you think that's hilarious you should check out some of his fights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI8BUZ9pUfA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4F9tv7dxKI

That's disgraceful IMO first punch lands and he is stopped.

Seen him in a thread on CS about worst active boxers. Out of 27 fights he has been stopped in every single one by the 2nd round.

He is the second best Cruiserweight in Latvia so he can be that bad..................

Naandrew wrote:

crusader wrote:^

If you think that's hilarious you should check out some of his fights.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI8BUZ9pUfA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4F9tv7dxKI

That's disgraceful IMO first punch lands and he is stopped.

Seen him in a thread on CS about worst active boxers. Out of 27 fights he has been stopped in every single one by the 2nd round.

I guess the Latvian punching bags brought over for easy wins need to get a few on their records too. I saw a few guys who looked like boxers standing outside the ring....maybe they were waiting for their turn to beat him too

I only hope sky have the common sense not to air this.

rio wrote:I only hope sky have the common sense not to air this.

Eddie Hearn wants to remind you that a fight of this quality is impossible to make, without it being Pay-Per-View.