By Elliot Foster
Eddie Hearn has promised an unforgettable night of boxing in Liverpool this summer when Tony Bellew finally gets a cruiserweight world title shot.
The Matchroom Sport chief has stated that fans of the sport in the North West can look forward to a blockbuster evening of championship boxing.
Hearn revealed that terms have been agreed for a fight with Ilunga Makabu (19-1, 18 KOs) for the vacant WBC title..
And with Bellew’s beloved Everton Football Club’s stadium, Goodison Park, in pole position to host the card, Hearn is confident he can put on a show that will live long in the memory.
He told Boxing Scene: “We agreed the fight earlier today (Wednesday) and the WBC announced it within 10 minutes via their social media, so I had to put a tweet out to get the story out.
“I’ve had very positive talks with Everton and June 4 is the date we want to go for, but finally I’ve had some joy with getting Tony a shot at the world title.
“People have been shutting the door in my face as I’ve been trying to get him one, but finally it’s all paid off.”
Hearn told ‘Scene that talks had been had with WBA interim champion Beibut Shumenov as well as the other three champions Denis Lebedev (WBA), Victor Emilio Ramirez (IBF) and Krzysztof Glowacki, the WBO champion.
“We spoke with the others [champions] and were close with Lebedev, but then he ended up fighting Ramirez, who we also spoke to.
“Glowacki was then our only option and he ended up agreeing the [Steve] Cunningham fight, so it was a blessing in disguise that Drozd got injured and the WBC have sanctioned this fight.”
With the Liverpool fight scene currently thriving and nearly all Scouse scrappers in –– or on the cusp of –– big fights, Hearn is confident that he can put on a multi-title show that people will remember forever.
“Should we go to Goodison, we could have Stephen Smith [who challenges José Pedraza for the IBF super featherweight crown in the States on April 16] defending his world title there, we could have Paul Smith in a big fight, potentially a world title fight, and Callum [Smith] in a big fight.
“But because there is still a bit of work to do with regards to nailing down Goodison, we have reserved the ECHO Arena [in Liverpool], not for that date but for a date around then, as a fall-back option.
“Of course, if we don’t get Goodison and end up at the Arena the card won’t be of the same standard, but I’m confident that we’ll still see a new world champion in the shape of Tony Bellew."
Further details, including the exact date and venue as well as the undercard and more, will be revealed in due course.
