Tony Bellew is supremely confident heading into tonight’s WBC cruiserweight battle with fellow puncher Ilunga Makabu in his native Liverpool. Bellew, who will go to war at the home ground of his beloved Everton football club, insists nothing Makabu, 19-1(18) can do will prevent him from realising his dream and capturing the vacant green belt. Bellew is sure his moment of destiny has arrived and he is even talking about who he would like to fight after he’s beaten Makabu: none other than former undisputed cruiserweight champ and former WBA heavyweight ruler David Haye.
Tony Bellew
Bellew vs Makabu at Goodison Park on Sunday May 29
Tony Bellew has told Ilunga Makabu that he will not deny him his dream World title win when they clash for the vacant WBC Cruiserweight strap at Goodison Park in Liverpool on Sunday May 29, live on Sky Sports.
Bellew welcomes Makabu into the Lion’s den on Sunday night when the pitch where his beloved Everton play on becomes the stage for his third crack at landing a World title.
Ilunga Makabu vows to smash Tony Bellew, ruin his world title dream
British boxing could see another champion crowned tonight in Las Vegas, and at the end of the month, on the 29th, still another Brit could win a world title. Amir Khan goes up against the formidable Saul Canelo Alvarez tonight, in what is arguably the biggest fight of the year. And on May 29th in his native Liverpool, Tony Bellew goes in with another formidable, if less known foe in rock-hard and tricky southpaw Ilunga “Junior” Makabu.
Tony Bellew: Boxing has a major problem with drugs
British cruiserweight contender, and soon to be world title challenger Tony Bellew (with Bellew set to face Junior Makabu for the vacant WBC 200-pound belt soon) has spoken out about what he says is a “major problem with drugs in boxing.” Speaking on BBC radio, Bellew said that fighters caught “should be made an example of,” and the Liverpudlian suggested an appropriate punishment would be “a lifetime ban.”
Bellew to face Ilunga Makuba for vacant WBC title (Drozd is now “Champion in recess”)
Liverpool’s Tony Bellew will get a second chance to become a world champion this summer, as his promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed Bellew will face Ilunga Makuba for the vacant WBC cruiserweight title. Grigory Drozd was supposed to defend against Makuba but pulled out of the April fight injured and will now become either “Champion in Recess” or will be stripped of the title completely.
So Bellew and Makuba get their chance. There is no date or confirmed venue yet, but the word is June 4th is likely and Bellew wants the fight in Liverpool. Bellew, a former challenger of WBC light-heavyweight ruler Adonis Stevenson (“Bomber” losing inside six-rounds in 2013) has won six in a row since moving up to cruiserweight where he says he feels more comfortable and more powerful. Bellew has some good cruiserweight wins on his record, most notably a revenge points win over Nathan Cleverly and a EBU title win over Mateusz Masternak, which came in the 33-year-old’s last fight in December.
‘I’m In a Crossroads Fight’ says Tony Bellew
British cruiserweight contender Tony Bellew (25-2-1, 16ko), says his career is at a crossroads ahead of Saturday’s EBU title fight with Mateusz Masternak (36-3,) in London, affirming victory is the only option so as to stay on course for his goal of winning an eventual world title.
Bellew has had an indifferent 2015 in the ring thus far, spending a portion of the year in the States filming Rocky spin-off movie ‘Creed,’ he twice struggled to look good against limited opposition, his last outing against (16-26-5) journeyman Arturs Kulikauskis in September.
Bellew’s ‘Credibility Fight’: Mateusz Masternak on Dec 12
British cruiserweight contender, Tony Bellew (25-2-1, 16ko), attempts a credible step toward his eventual goal of a cruiserweight world title, facing Poland’s Mateusz Masternak (36-3, 26ko) on Matchroom Sport’s, Dec. 12, ‘Bad Intentions’ show from London’s O2.
Bellew’s promoter Eddie Hearn had promised that the Scouser would be in a ‘credibility fight’ on the show that is headlined by Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte’s British heavyweight title clash, and he has found a decent enough foe in Masternak, who, like Bellew, is ranked within the top 10, WBA/IBF/WBO and #15, WBC.
Bellew: Dec. 12 Opponent is of ‘Name and Status’
Matchroom boxing’s Eddie Hearn, has claimed that cruiserweight contender, Tony Bellew’s opponent for the Dec. 12 ‘Bad Intentions’ card in London, is a fighter big in both name and status.
Bellew, (25-2-1, 16ko) has had a pretty unimpressive 2015 in the ring, returning from filming new ‘Rocky’ spin-off movie, ‘Creed’ to face unheralded Croatian, Ivica Bacurin (22-8-1, 12ko) in June, eventually forcing a stoppage in the final round of a fight that would have put a glass eye to sleep, before then stopping Latvian journeyman, Arturs Kulikauski’s (16-26-5, 8ko) in September, in another performance of little consequence.
Tony Bellew Promising ‘Big, Big Fight’ in December / Possible IBF Title Shot?
British cruiserweight contender Tony Bellew (25-2-1, 16ko) has not has a good 2015 – at least in the ring – boxing twice thus far against journeyman opposition and, to put it politely, not looking great in the process.
The former 175 lb world title challenger, knocked out by Adonis Stevenson in his November 2013 title tilt, has spent a portion of the year filming the new Rocky spin-off, Creed, and continues to state that he has an eye on winning a world title at Cruiserweight, promising that in December he will be ‘in a big, big fight.’
Tony Bellew: ‘It’s Only a Matter of Time Until I Get a World Title’
Exciting isn’t a word one regularly associates with British cruiserweight contender Tony Bellew (25-2-1, 16ko), and nothing changed in that regard last night either, after another forgettable, 8 round “late-notice” bout against Latvian journeyman, Arturs Kulikauskis (16-26-5), in Leeds.
Bellew, without trainer Dave Coldwell, who is in the US with WBA (reg) bantamweight champion, Jamie McDonnell, made hard work of a mobile, but limited, survivor in Kulikauskis, and went hunting for the punch to finish things from the get-go, enjoying limited success in a difficult to watch contest that set the tone of almost the entire underwhelming fight card from the First Direct Arena.