The next calculated gamble for Tony Bellew

Tony Bellew

TONY BELLEWโ€™S next move will be an interesting one. After beating David Haye at heavyweight, there are only a few fights he is willing to take in that division. But Tyson Fury is one of them.

His promoter Eddie Hearn sounded a note of caution. โ€œHe met Tyson [after the Haye cancellation] and they shook on a deal to fight and I said to him, he ainโ€™t going to fight you,โ€ Hearn said. โ€œTyson Fury, when you see what he comes back against and when you see what he fights over the next three or four fights, he wonโ€™t go anywhere near Tony Bellew. But in time that could be a big fight.โ€

Bellew himself is not willing to wait. He knows Tyson Fury, a former heavyweight world champion was, at his best, too talented and simply too big for him. But Tony will be watching his return closely. Heโ€™s willing to fight Fury in his second comeback fight.

โ€œNot three or four fights. Itโ€™s just the three or four fights. He gets on that Dusseldorf form [when Fury beat Wladimir Klitschko], I donโ€™t fancy the night that that could incur for me. Iโ€™m not about that life. I donโ€™t need a man whoโ€™s about nine foot trying to punch my face in whoโ€™s back to his best. Listen boxingโ€™s all about timing, Iโ€™m not going to sit here and lie to you and say I would have beaten Tyson Fury that night in Dusseldorf. Chances are I wouldnโ€™t. Heโ€™d dance around the ring and jab my head off,โ€ Bellew explained. โ€œTiming is everything in boxing and styles do make fights. Tyson Fury isnโ€™t a big puncher like Deontay Wilder or Anthony Joshua. Or David Haye. But he has a certain set of skills. Heโ€™s big, heโ€™s elusive and heโ€™s fast for a heavyweight. But he isnโ€™t as fast as David Haye. So itโ€™s a fight I like.โ€

In other words, just as when he took the David Haye fight, he wants to make a calculated gamble.

Andre Ward, who has bulked up to about 200lbs in retirement, is an interesting fight and he could be tempted into a return. โ€œI really like the Andre Ward fight. Thereโ€™s loads of options, like there was after the last fight. But weโ€™ll just have to see,โ€ Bellew said. โ€œHe wants the fight. Believe you me, he thinks he can beat me easy. He wants the fight.โ€

But the Liverpudlian warned, โ€œIโ€™ll beat Andre Ward. Youโ€™ll all laugh and think I havenโ€™t got a chance but I will knock out Andre Ward. I will beat him down slowly but surely. I can do it two ways. I can outbox Andre Ward is I choose to. I have a different set of skills to what heโ€™s faced before. I can do things differently. I can beat him. I donโ€™t care how good he is, Iโ€™ve got all the respect in the world for him. An amazing fighter, pound for pound great, but styles make fights and I will beat him.โ€

โ€œI can match him [on the inside]. Heโ€™s never fought a fighter who can match him on the inside. Thatโ€™s his greatest strength. It really, really is,โ€ Tony explained. โ€œHeโ€™s Bernard Hopkins 20 years younger, thatโ€™s exactly what he is. But thereโ€™s ways to beat him. I know I can beat him. Iโ€™m one hundred per cent convinced I can beat Andre Ward. As great of fighter as he is. Once again Iโ€™ll beat him but heโ€™ll go down as a far greater fighter than me, because of his achievements. Heโ€™s a brilliant fighter, heโ€™s a legend in the game. But Iโ€™ll beat him. That fat Scouser will beat him.โ€

Dave Coldwell, his trainer, puts another option on the table. Bellew has won a cruiserweight world title and beat Haye twice. His trainer thinks he could retire now with his head held high. โ€œI would love him to walk away,โ€ Coldwell said. โ€œIn the gym, heโ€™s getting better and better every time. Heโ€™s got such a great boxing intellect and he thinks about things. With age comes his maturity. Heโ€™s able to then take it into a fight.

โ€œI donโ€™t want him to quit because of that, I want him to quit because – what else is there?โ€

 

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