The “circus” that man of the moment Tony Bellew openly says he hates, is looking for its next stop, and it could be that the cruiserweight champ who successfully shocked David Haye at the weekend gets a world heavyweight title shot next. Bellew said at Saturday’s post-fight presser that he knows his promoter Eddie Hearn will make him an offer he “cannot refuse,” and that this will keep him in the sport a little longer.
And while WBC heavyweight king Deontay Wilder has yet to respond to Hearn calling him out for a fight against Bellew, the other man Hearn said he could get to the UK to defend his belt against Bellew has responded. Joseph Parker, the reigning WBO champ, says he would have “no problem” fighting Bellew, and his promoter David Higgins says such a fight would be “easy to put together.”
The unbeaten New Zealander must first come through his maiden title defence against unbeaten challenger Hughie Fury, who he will fight in May, most likely in Auckland on the 6th, but after that it could be Bellew. The idea of Bellew against monster heavyweight Wilder might seem a foolish one to most fans, but would “Bomber” have a realistic shot at dethroning Parker?
“It would be an easy fight to put together. It would be a big fight,” Higgins told The Herald. “Bellew goes well in the UK – he’s very popular – and Eddie Hearn has publicly called on it [the fight] to happen. Joseph’s focus is all on Hughie Fury and a win over Fury would open up several lucrative fights which would make an impact on a global scale. Included in those now is a potential fight against Bellew. The best way to raise his [Parker’s] profile in the UK is to beat Englishmen.”
It’s no secret Parker also wants a big, big fight with British star and reigning IBF champ Anthony Joshua, so maybe, in an effort to raise his profile in the UK as well as his chances of getting the big one with AJ (who must come through against former king Wladimir Klitschko in April) Parker will take Hearn’s offer and defend against Bellew in the UK. First though, Parker must beat Fury, and this is no sure thing.
But could Bellew top off his already incredible career by winning a legitimate heavyweight title? Wouldn’t that be some achievement for the self proclaimed “Fat Scouser!”