12 Jun 2019
Tony “Bomber” Bellew takes on the undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world, Oleksandr Usyk, at the Manchester Arena on Saturday night with four titles on the line.
The 6ft3 Ukrainian fighter has his sights on moving up to the heavyweight division to challenge Anthony Joshua, but first things first he must get past the spirited Bellew.
Hanging up his gloves
In what is set to be Bellew’s final fight, this could be the ultimate swansong for the Liverpudlian before retirement.
Usyk is undefeated in 15 fights, with 11 of those coming via knockout. He is also the first boxer in history to hold all four major world championships at cruiserweight.
This will be the first time the 31-year-old has fought in the UK. With his last two victories having come via decision, the sensible bet could be Usyk on points at 6/4.
In July 2018, Usyk was ranked as the world’s best active cruiserweight by The Ring magazine. Like Joshua, he is a former Olympic champion so Bellew has his work cut out for him if he is to bow out on a high. He recognises the task ask ahead of him, describing Usyk as “one of the most formidable fighters on the planet.”
Perfect ten
That said, 35-year-old Bellew has won 10 straight fights, including back-to-back victories against David Haye. With four straight knockout victories to his name, Bellew to win by KO at 5/1 could be good value.
Usyk will be looking to use his quick feet to get into a rhythm. Once he gets settled in a fight Usyk is very difficult to beat so Bellew will need to use his jab early and often to unsettle him.
Many see Bellew entering this fight with nothing to lose. Whilst Usyk has high hopes of replicating the Klitschko brothers’ dominance in the heavyweight division, Bellew has proven in the past it’s a dangerous game taking him lightly.
Bellew acknowledges the “crazy puzzle” that Usyk poses but vows that Saturday will be “the greatest night of whole career”. Having won 30 of his 33 fights, the prospect of facing a complete fighter in Usyk was enough to draw him out of a brief retirement following the second of the heavily-billed bouts against David Haye.
Eddie Hearn meanwhile has described the fight between Bellew and Usyk as the biggest and best fight that Matchroom have ever promoted.
It is undoubtedly one of the most highly anticipated fights in recent years. Having dealt with the pressure of fighting (and winning) at his boyhood football club Goodison Park, Bellew has shown he’s the man for the big occasion.
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