Tony Bellew: A Clever Boxing Match?

By Donald C. Stewart

“If you want fireworks you get me the boy from the valleys and I will give you fireworks” – so said Tony Bellew 16-0, 10 KO’s, after he defeated Ovill McKenzie, 18-11, 7 KO’s, for the second time.

The boy he wanted was the WBO Light Heavyweight champion from the valleys of Wales – Nathan Cleverley. Bellew had won for the 2nd time against McKenzie and he was reacting to the feeling it was generally felt to be a lackluster performance. Now we have a dust up for a world title between them, Bellew, having dropped his battle against Paul David has got his opportunity to take on Nathan Cleverley, 22-0, 11 KO’s, in his home town of Liverpool.

The 15th of October is the date set for the meeting and this is yet another domestic which shall have the tills ringing and the hacks salivating at the prospect of two British boxers in one ring for a world belt. The WBO light heavyweight champion, Cleverley, has fuelled the fight with talk of Bellew being delusional, living in his shadow and caught up in their own hype.

Cleverley is more experienced in terms of fights being fought and therefore the opportunity for a world belt came to him first. The withdrawal of Juergen Braehmar 36-2, 29 KO’s, in his world title opportunity gave Cleverley the belt without throwing a punch. Bellew was brought in to take Braehmar’s place but failed to make the weight. Cleverley went on to bizarrely defend his title against the Pole Aleksy Kuziemski and retain it.

What Bellew didn’t fail to do was make an incredible impression. Bellew and Cleverley nearly came to blows at the press conference – promoter Frank Warren risked life and limb to get in between and keep the peace! Bellew called Cleverley a rat and then stood back to see what came next.

As the fight didn’t happen what happened next was pure speculation. The hacks, newspapers and all the non print media called for it and now we have it. Oh the power of the media.

I have always worried that, in a country of 55/60 Million, Great Britain cannot afford to put its best in the ring together when we have only 4 World Champions. Although Amir Khan is now also a Diamond or Supreme or something champion instead of a normal World Champion – remember them?

Tony Bellew – being a scouser – has more than enough to say. He has admitted that his behavior at the press conference was calculated. He wanted to wind up the Cleverley camp knowing that if he wasn’t going to fight Cleverley this time round that he would eventually get the chance. He might have to be patient but inevitably he knew if he made a big enough rumpus people would take up his cause and call for the match to be made.

He was bang on.

Bellew reckons that Cleverley will struggle with him and there will be no standing and trading blows. He seems to be suggesting this will be a tactical affair and this may not therefore provide the fireworks he seemed to be promising. Cleverley is undeterred by the stunts and the hype believing that he will walk in and then walk out as the World Champion. He even dismissed the suggestion that fighting in Bellew’s own home town of Liverpool will be a problem. He claimed that he had the option of taking the fight to Wales but there was already a bill at the Liverpool Echo Arena that fitted his needs. Cleverly will go into the lion’s den and believes he will come back out unscathed.

Both boxers have differing styles but the same desire – to walk away from the match with the belt. It’s too early to make any sense of the betting on this but early indications would appear to suggest that Bellew as the challenger is also the underdog. I suppose one of the things about two UK fighters scrapping over a World Championship is we shall still have one at the end of it!

The biggest prize though comes for the winner. It has been suggested that whoever is victorious in Liverpool on the 15th October they will take on the legend which is Bernard Hopkins. Hopkins 52-5-2, 32 KO’s, will defend his title against Chad Dawson 31-1, 17 KO’s, in Las Vegas on the same night and it is believed that, if he is still the WBC Champion, he will travel to the UK to fight whoever comes out the winner in Liverpool. Now that would be worth having the two of them in the ring for – Hopkins fighting on UK soil!