TONY BELLEW was enjoying his honeymoon when Oleksandr Usyk dominated Murat Gassiev in the unification bout that closed the inaugural World Boxing Super Series cruiserweight tournament on July 21. Within seconds of the final bell, talk was rife about a potential meeting between the pair. Usyk made a threat to Bellew in his post-fight interview, which was instantly responded to via the Liverpool manโs Twitter page.
โIt was a brilliant performance where he didnโt put a foot wrong,โ Bellew told Boxing News. โI predicted Usyk to win the whole thing from the start, but I didnโt expect such a comfortable final because Gassiev is someone with
a lot of power and has a trainer who excels in getting his fighters to cut the ring off. Usyk didnโt give him a chance all night and in the end it became quite easy for him. After such a performance, itโs flattering to see that Iโm the first name he calls out.โ
Bellewโs profile, now at an all-time high, has allowed him to be in the frame for a number of potential superfights following a blistering spell of form that saw him become WBC champion in 2016, a belt now owned by Usyk, and complete a resounding double over former cruiserweight and heavyweight titlist, David Haye. Such victories has seen Bellewโs name linked to the likes of Tyson Fury and Andre Ward in recent months. Although both assignments remain appealing, Bellew now admits that Usyk fight is the one that stands out the most.
โHe [Usyk] brings the full package in terms of belts and prizes and when I take them from him then what else you can say? If the fight is arranged at cruiserweight then Iโll have all the belts and Iโll be recognised as one of the best fighters on the entire planet.
โIn terms of finances he might not be the richest fight out there for me, but he brings a lot to the table and as a package that contains a lot of belts and good money.
โUsyk will certainly do for me. Our teams are talking at the moment and theyโve been positive so far. Thereโll be more talks in the coming days and weeks so that everybody can be happy. If this is something that can be done for November then Iโll be over the moon.โ
An eager observer of Usyk for a long time, Bellew believes he has what it takes to shatter the 2012 Olympic gold medallistโs confidence and ruin his unbeaten record. Sparring partners for a matter of minutes back when both were successful amateurs, Bellew continued to follow the progress of Usyk throughout his unpaid adventure. These observations continued when Usyk turned professional and Bellew, always a studious operator, applauded his potential rival from afar as he climbed the cruiserweight rankings quickly.
โThereโs a lot that you can say about him and itโs all true but Iโm not Murat Gassiev, Marius Breidis, or Marco Huck,โ Bellew added. โBreidis showed everyone that you can get to him and push him close and the reason for that was because he underestimated him, and Iโll bet you anything you want that heโll underestimate me as well and that will be his undoing. He gave Gassiev all the respect in the world and that shows that heโs a fighter who has fears like everyone else. He picks and chooses who gets his respect and heโs shown that throughout the whole competition. Weโll see where we are in a couple of weeks, but Iโm hopeful that a deal can be made because everyone is going to see me prove the entire world wrong yet again.โ
This article was originally published in Boxing News magazine, out now