FORMER cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew is willing to move down from heavyweight to challenge the undisputed 200lbs king Oleksandr Usyk.
Usyk defeated Murat Gassiev on Saturday to win the World Boxing Super Series and the WBO, WBA, IBF and WBC cruiserweight titles. Bellew moved up to heavyweight to beat David Haye twice. He was made WBC champion โemeritus,โ which gives him the right to come back and challenge for that belt. The Liverpudlian wants toย drop back down in weight and go for all the titles.
โItโs not a goer [yet] because weโve got to talk money. But Iโve been told to make the fight by Bellew. Youโve got a guy who is the undisputed cruiserweight champion etc. calling out Tony Bellew. Itโs brilliant for Bellew. Bellew just said make the fight,โ promoter Eddie Hearn told Boxing News. โIโm not sure the moneyโs that great. We mustnโt get confused with how big is Usyk? To us heโs the man [but] the reason that Bellew made so much money out of the David Haye fight is that they gelled perfectly together for the casual market. 800,000 buys, 700,000 buys, 1.5 million buys over two fights!
โItโs a bit like Brook versus Golovkin. Now youโre talking about 400,000 buys for that fight, I thought it might do 600,000. But whoโs Golovkin, back then, to a lot of people. That it is the only danger of a fight with Usyk. And I wonโt let Tony take that fight unless making similar money to the Haye fight.โ
Hearn reasoned, โHe doesnโt need the fight. But he wants it. When I said to him youโve got to take the fight at 15 stone plus because thatโs where youโre at now. You havenโt been at cruiserweight for two years and then he phoned me back the next day and said, โNo I want it cruiserweight.โ He said if Iโm going to put myself at this risk and my body at this risk, I want the money, but I want the glory of being undisputed cruiserweight champion.
โIโve had to go back and say no it has to be at cruiserweight.โ
โIf heโs going to beat Usyk, beat him for everything heโs got.”
Usyk in the long run must be eyeing a move up to heavyweight himself. โThe fight they want is Anthony Joshua, in 18 months, two yearsโ time. That is what theyโre chasing, basically. As everybody is at super-middleweight upwards. Iโm saying to them, if you can beat Bellew in the UK, fight Dillian Whyte after that. And then if you beat those guys, everybodyโs going to say Joshua must fight you. So thereโs your plan. But understand this, even if we work together. Bellew is our guy. Iโve already told them Iโm one million percent Tony Bellew. At the moment all I can tell you is Iโve been told to make the fight by Tony Bellew,โ Hearn said. โThey [Usykโs side] arenโt going to shy away from the fight, they think itโs going to be easy. Usyk thinks he knocks him out.โ
The promoter added, โIf Bellew wins this fight, just make sure you give him the credit of being a pound-for-pound great. Youโd have to.โ