As fans know, Tony Bellew is never shy to get involved in a grudge-fight; he’s had trash-talk run-ins with Nathan Cleverly, Adonis Stevenson and, most recently, David Haye. Dillian Whyte is also no stranger to a grudge-match; his pre-fight escapades with Anthony Joshua and Dereck Chisora proving memorable.
And now, with British heavyweight champ Whyte calling out “fake heavyweight” Bellew, these two could be locking horns in a venomous grudge-fight with one another. Bellew may need surgery on the hand he broke in his winning fight with Haye before he can box again, but Whyte, in speaking with Sky Sports, called the WBC cruiserweight champ out, claiming, “me versus Bellew will make more money than any other fight he can get at the minute.”
Whyte says that should Bellew take a fight with him, he would KO Bellew “within six rounds.”
“If you want to prove yourself as a true heavyweight then fight me,” Whyte said, referring to Bellew. “I’m a bigger name here than Joseph Parker or Deontay Wilder. Bellew struggled to knock out a one-legged man. He didn’t even knock him (Haye) out properly. If he is struggling to knock out a one-legged man, how is he going to knock out a true heavyweight who always shows up to fight? It’s impossible. He’s a fake heavyweight and he should go back to cruiserweight. If he wants to stay at heavyweight, he needs to prove to me and the world that he’s a natural heavyweight.”
Bellew would almost certainly be the first to admit he is no heavyweight, but his guts, heart, power and desire got him that big win over Haye anyway. Yes, Haye’s injury proved a big factor, but might Bellew – who took everything Haye could land on his chin, both before and after suffering his Achilles injury – have won anyway? Could Whyte, if he gets the fight, be the next fighter to underestimate Bellew and be made to pay for it?
Pick against Bellew at your peril; “Bomber” has proven he is far from easy to deal with. Whyte is in line to box on the upcoming Brook-Spence welterweight title fight bill on May 27, so it seems unlikely he will be facing Bellew next. But this match-up, if promoted tastily (imagine the pre-fight shenanigans!) would prove very attractive to British fight fans later this year.
But again, Bellew has A TON of options right now, and he can sit back and take his time in choosing who and what is next for him.