Hearn wants to make Cleverly-Bellew rematch after Nathan’s May 17th fight

03/28/201403/27/2014 Jeff Sorby

Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn says he wants to put together a big rematch between his recently signed former WBO light heavyweight champion Nathan Nathan Cleverly (26-1, 12 KO’s) and former WBC Silver light heavyweight champion Tony Bellew (21-2-1, 13 KO’s) as soon as Cleverly gets past his scheduled May 17th fight date at the Motorpoint Arena, in Cardiff, Wales.

Hearn doesn’t have an opponent picked out for Cleverly yet, but suffice it to say that it won’t be anyone good enough to worry the 27-year-old fighter any. This is Cleverly’s cruiserweight debut, so Hearn will make sure that he matches him softly so there’s no chance of a mishap. Hearn almost blew it with his matching of Bellew against 37-year-old Valery Brudov this month in a fight that Bellew took a beating and was staggered at one point in the fight in the 7th round.

continue

Bellew defeats Brudov; Brook stops Robles

03/16/201403/15/2014 Rob Smith

Making his first fight at cruiserweight, Tony Bellew (21-2, 13 KO’s) was able to stop former WBA interim cruiserweight champion Valery Brudov (41-5, 28 KO’s) in the 12th round tonight to win the vacant WBO International cruiserweight title at the Echo Arena, in Liverpool, UK. Bellew showed good power in dropping Brudov three times in the fight.

In the 12th, Bellew caught the 37-year-old Brudov with a perfectly timed left hook to the head that dropped him on his backside. Brudov tried to get up, but he was far too hurt and the fight was immediately stopped. Bellew also knocked Brudov down once in the 2nd round and another time in the 6th.

Bellew will need to improve dramatically if he’s going to go anywhere in the division. Brudov was an old small guy without a ton of power, and there are much better contenders in the division than this guy and Bellew had major problems against him.

continue

Will Froch avenge Bellew’s defeat against Stevenson?

12/02/2013 Jeff Sorby

froch673428 Carl Froch’s good friend Tony Bellew (20-2-1, 12 KO’s) was literally bludgeoned into submission in a 6th round stoppage loss last Saturday night at the hands of WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (23-1, 20 KO’s) at the Colisee de Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

That couldn’t have been a good experience for Froch to see Bellew getting manhandled by the Canadian-based Stevenson like that for 6 rounds, but then to make matters worse, Stevenson put Froch on notice by saying to the entire boxing world that he wants to fight him next rather than WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev.

continue

Nothing Spoiled in Quebec: Stevenson and Kovalev are Victorious

12/02/201312/01/2013 George Goddiess

stevenson56 There was no bump in the road last night for a possible light heavyweight showdown between Sergey Kovalev and Adonis Stevenson. In two fights with a very showcase feel both belt holders took care of business with definitive knockout wins. Kovalev’s came very early and was very destructive. Ismayl Sillakh, a Ukrainian challenger now fighting out of Simi Valley, California was out cold from an overhand right that had him out on his feet.

Two jabs assisted his fall as the referee Marlon Wright was waving it over immediately. Sillakh fell under the bottom rope and the doctors struggled to get him back under the ropes so they could examine his condition. People sitting ringside stuck out hands to prevent him from crawling off the ring and onto the floor. Kovalev had shattered the once promising contender with two solid overhand rights.

continue

Stevenson obliterates Bellew; Kovalev crushes Sillakh

12/01/201311/30/2013 Bill Phanco

stevenson54 WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (23-1, 20 KO’s) hammered Tony Bellew (20-2-1, 12 KO’s) at will with power shots en route to stopping him in the 6th round tonight at the Colisee de Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. The fight was embarrassingly one-sided from start to finish, and it probably would have been over much sooner if Bellew hadn’t moved as much as he did.

In the 6th round, Stevenson hit Bellew with a big left to the head that sent him down on the canvas badly hurt. To Bellew’s credit he was able to staggered back to his feet, but Stevenson was on him right away in hitting him with a hard left hand that caused Bellew’s legs go stagger and look like noodles. Stevenson then hit a defenseless Bellew with two more left hands to the head that caused the referee to stop the fight to save Bellew from getting knocked down a 2nd time.

continue

Bellew-Stevenson tonight: Will Tony be KO victim #20 for Adonis?

12/02/201311/29/2013 Rob Smith

HBO Boxing After Dark Weigh-In: Adonis Stevenson vs Tony Bellew Tony Bellew (20-1-1, 12 KO’s) looks to be headed for a knockout loss tonight against WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (22-1, 19 KO’s) in their fight at the Colisee de Quebec, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Stevenson has been knocking guys out left and right lately, and it would seem that the tall, upright Bellew would be the perfect opponent for Stevenson to KO tonight to add his 20th knockout to his growing number of knockouts on his resume.

Bellew has done a great job of drawing attention to the fight with his hyperbolic statements, but at the end of the day he probably will end up getting knocked out quicker than Stevenson’s other recent opponents have. Bellew hasn’t been looking that great lately in his fights against Isaac Chilemba, Roberto Bolonti and Edison Miranda. Those were all fights that were more difficult than they should have been for a fighter ranked as high as Bellew, but they ended up being hard fights for him. He’s not coming into this fight from anything impressive. His win over Chilemba in his last fight was more of a clinching affair than a fight where meaningful punches were thrown by Bellew.

continue

Bellew will need a miracle to beat Stevenson

10/23/201310/23/2013 Michael Collins

bellew45 British fighter Tony Bellew (20-1-1, 12 KO’s) is going to need a miracle knockout to beat WBC light heavyweight champion Adonis Stevenson (22-1, 19 KO’s) on November 30th because he’s out of his league in every way you can imagine in this one. Bellew has wanted this fight for ages, and now that he’s got it he doesn’t look nearly ready.

While Bellew talks like he’s got the skills to beat Stevenson, the fact is Bellew doesn’t look like he’s in the same class as him. In the last two years of Bellew’s career, he hasn’t shown improvement from his defeat to former WBO light heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly.

continue

Bellew poised to get title shot against Stevenson-Cloud winner

07/26/201307/25/2013 Michael Collins

bellew64 Tony Bellew (20-1, 12 Ko’s) failed the last time he got a title shot against WBO light heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly in losing a 12 round majority decision to him two years ago in October 2011. Bellew, 30, is now on the cusp of getting another world title shot, this time against the winner of the Adonis Stevenson vs. Tavoris Cloud fight.

Bellew is tentatively scheduled to fight the winner of that bout on November 30th, which just happens to be Bellew’s birthday. I seriously doubt it being his birthday is going to help him beat either Stevenson or Cloud, because those guys are a step up from Bellew’s recent opponent Isaac Chilemba. We just saw Bellew struggle badly against Chilemba twice and look terrible both times.

continue

Bellew: Adonis Stevenson won’t last long as champion if I can help it

07/31/201406/10/2013 Michael Collins

bellew33 Now that Adonis Stevenson (21-1, 18 KO’s) has the WBC light heavyweight title after obliterating Chad Dawson in one round, Britain’s Tony Bellew, the #1 WBC 175 lb. contender, has come out of the woodwork and he wants his shot at Stevenson’s new WBC title and he likes his chances in beating the 35-year-old.

Bellew said to Sky Sports “He’s [Stevenson] the one I’d have preferred to face…it’s not going to last long…Adonis Stevenson is wild and gives you opportunities. So I don’t think he’s going to be a long-standing champion, especially if I’ve got anything to do with it.”

continue

Chilemba expects to KO Bellew on Saturday night

05/23/2013 Michael Collins

bellew5 bellew5 #3 WBC light heavyweight contender Isaac Chilemba (20-1-2, 9 KO’s) wants to take the judges out of the equation this Saturday night in his rematch against #1 WBC Tony Bellew (19-1-1, 12 KO’s) at the O2 Arena in London, UK.

Chilemba fought well enough to deserve a victory last March when he fought Bellew in Liverpool, England, but the judges saw it differently and scored it a 12 round draw. This time Chilemba will be looking to knock Bellew out.

Chilemba said to Sky Sports “I’m not a guy who looks for a knockout. The way I feel this time, I would be very surprised if he goes 12 rounds…this time I’m going to take every round.”

What’s not known by many boxing fans is that Chilemba went into his fight with Bellew last March with a chest cold, and he barely breath. He didn’t want to cancel the fight and toughed it out, giving away many of the rounds in the first half of the fight.

continue