TONY BELLEW was full of fire and fury when trying to crash the weight as a late notice substitute the first time a fight with Nathan Cleverly was mooted. The two would eventually contest the WBO light-heavyweight title. But it was only after that contest concluded that Bellew began to hate Nathan Cleverly.
โThe words he said to me in that ring were, that was the hardest fight Iโve ever had,โ Bellew insists. โThe comments out of his mouth [later] were โI never got out of second gearโ, โit was an easy fightโ, โI done it with two cracked ribsโ. That just infuriates me.โ
Bellewโs fighting pride had been stung. โHeโs a lying scumbag,โ he said. โI can never forgive that.โ
Tony continued, โMany fighters have been robbed. Mine wasnโt a robbery, I never said that. What I did say is I thought I did enough to win. It was a close fight it could have gone either way. It should have gone my way.โ
The Liverpudlian has had to wait for the rematch he craved. โIf Iโm ever in a close fight I agree to a rematch on the telly,โ he declared. โIf he really could beat me so easily why not fight an immediate rematch and get better than the best payday youโve ever had because I was the best payday, bar Kovalev, that heโs ever had?
โHis careerโs built on lies.โ
Their current promoter Eddie Hearn says Bellew-Cleverly II will take place this year. โWeโve got November 29 booked [at the Echo Arena in Liverpool]. We could have a big show in October, which could be a monster card [at the O2 in London]. I do take my hat off to Nathan because heโs been here [the Echo Arena] before, he came here again tonight and heโs quite willing to come here again,โ Eddie said.
โIt is real and there is animosity and there is rivalry. Itโs like Froch-Grovesโฆ The winner [of Bellew-Cleverly II] I believe probably gets a pay-per-view platform for a world title [fight] as well. Iโm already thinking about if Tony wins, Goodison [Park] against [Marco] Huck. If Cleverly wins, Millenium Stadium against Huck.โ
For the full ringside report from the Liverpool show donโt miss this weekโs issue of Boxing News