IBF, WBA, WBO light heavyweight champion Andre Ward has issued a warning to Tony Bellew, the former WBC cruiserweight champion.

In the last few weeks, there has been a lot of talk about a potential fight between the two of them.

Ward (32-0, 16 KOs) is considering the possibility of moving up in weight after stopping Sergey Kovalev in their June rematch at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas.

In March, Bellew walked away from the WBC title for a move to the heavyweight division, where he scored an upset stoppage of former world champion David Haye.

Bellew believes that he can still easily get down in weight to make the 200-pound cruiserweight limit.

Ward and Bellew were co-stars in the motion picture Creed.

While Bellew believes that he can walk right through Ward - the current pound-for-pound king wants to remind Bellew that they are no longer in a movie. 

"I think I've proven and shown throughout my whole career that I don't duck and dodge anybody, I've done it the old-school way," said Ward to Sky Sports. 

"The resumé is there, the big fights are there, the victories and the big moments are there. It just has to be the right situation. At 33 years old, at this stage of my career, I've got to go big or go home.

"I've got a lot of respect for Bellew, I think he's a quality fighter. It wouldn't be an easy fight and I don't mind him doing a bunch of talking but he has to remember something - this is real life. This isn't Creed, this is not the movies, this is real. As long as he understands that it's all good."

Bellew will likely want the fight to take place in the UK - which is not a big issue for Ward, who wants to fight on British soil before he retires from the sport.

"Two places I haven't fought that are on my bucket list are Madison Square Garden and the UK. I've got a tremendous fan base in the UK, I love the UK. I love the passion, whether they are for me or against me - you've got to respect how they show up and support their own," Ward said.