By Terence Dooley
Tony ‘Bomber’ Bellew, 26, is going places as a professional, and fast. The Liverpool Light-heavyweight has accounted for nine opponents in the past twenty months, stopping five of them in the process.
BoxingScene.com caught up with the three-time ABA winner recently, the boxer was showing off his war wounds, the deep scar etched into the knuckles of his left hand a clear indication that Tony is carrying the ‘punchers burden’ of potential hand injury.
As Bellew went through his shadow boxing routine he swiped the air with heavy impunity, fresh air does not pose a risk to the fists, as Tony cut through the cold air of the gym you could hear the sharp swoosh of the shots. His trainer, Anthony ‘Arnie’ Farnell, tapped me on the shoulder, telling me that: “This is the number one gym for prospects!”
I asked Bellew if his ‘puncher’ tag had heaped a bit of pressure on him. “No, there was no pressure,” he claimed. “I knew that the power would turn over with me but I just box my own way, and if the knockouts come the knockouts come.”
News that this red-hot amateur with punching power was turning over had caused many trainers to pick up their ears, for Tony, though, there was only one name in the frame, as he explained. “To be honest a few trainers asked me to join them but I always had Arnie in the back of my mind.
“I met with Frank Warren and he recommended Arnie. I had seen Arnie work with (Anthony) Crolla and (Steven) Bellos. I was very impressed with the way he worked with the fighters.
“People asked if I was worried that Arnie would try to train us all in the way he fought, but he approaches different boxers differently. When you see us box you can see that we box differently to the way Arnie did.”
Bellew’s first assignment was an eye-catching annihilation of the awkward Jamie Ambler, this vein of form has continued throughout Tony’s budding pro career, the likes of Phil Goodwin and Hastings Rasani are included amongst Tony’s KO victims. These guys are not easy to stop, yet the odd whisper persists over Bellew’s power.
“People have it in their heads that I’m not a big puncher,” he said. “All I will say is when did you last see someone stretchered out the ring in an ABA final? The only time I remember it happening is when I did it to John Lewis Dickenson.
“If you don’t think I am a puncher look at my amateur record, two out of three ABA finals won by stoppage [With an overall record of 32 stoppages in 40 amateur wins]. That speaks for itself. The power is there.”
Bellew hammered Hastings to defeat in a single round last September. The quick win took many people by surprise, including David Haye, Bellew took up the story.
“I remember speaking to David Haye before Hastings Rasani and David said I wouldn’t knock the guy out as quickly as David had knocked him out. I had a little bet with Dave and told him, ‘I am going to stop him faster than you!’ Dave laughed but I went out there and did the job on him [Writer’s note: Both Haye and Bellew did for Hastings in a round]. I was ruthless that night. Jamie Ambler was awkward for many guys but I put fear into guys when I look across the ring at them.”
Bellew continued: “Haye is a very good fighter so it is encouraging to talk with the likes of him, and he told some of the Liverpool lads that I am a prospect. I sparred with him so he knows how good I am. If I can get anywhere near his level I will have done well.”
Bellew can also count former light-heavyweight King John Conteh amongst his fans. John sees something in the latest light-heavyweight from Liverpool, although his endorsement is also a heavy burden, Tony talked about the pleasure and pressure of being picked for the top by Conteh.
“It is a bit of pressure because I think Conteh is one of the best British fighters we have produced, certainly since the war. You might have to go to Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis to come up with a better British fighter than John Conteh. It is flattering to be talked about like that. I have chatted with John a few times and it is an honour to have anyone who boxed at that level talk about you in that way.”
At the moment, Bellew is making his way through the levels, with that said, the confident fighter is hardly a cap-doffing type, and he used our chat as an opportunity to throw down the gauntlet to any fighter in the UK.
“I am happy to fight them [his domestic rivals] any time soon. I don’t mind who it is in the other corner,” declared Bellew. “I used to think it would take a few more fights and then I’d be ready for the top guys but I saw Dean Francis, the best in the division, move up to cruiserweight and look less effective, so I feel I can take on any of the ones Dean left behind. (Nathan) Cleverly is a good kid but I don’t think he can take what I would put on him.
“I am a big fan of Tony Oakey, he is great for British boxing, but I feel that I am the best light-heavyweight in Britain, it is just about proving it. I am not calling any one guy out because I see all light-heavyweights as potential opponents, and the super-middleweights as well. I am willing to fight anyone to prove my point.”
These are big claims for a fighter with less than ten fights, but they have their basis, the division is pretty shallow, we only have a smattering of decent light-heavies here in the UK. Bellew has taken them all in, and thinks that his record stacks up, as he explained.
“To be honest my beliefs are not just based on my potential. They are based on my record so far and my amateur pedigree. People say, ‘You have been dropped already’ [versus Jevgenijs Andrejevs] but that was clearly a slip. I still haven’t lost a round as a professional boxer. I don’t see anyone beating me on current form. They won’t box better than me, they won’t hit harder than me, and they won’t be fitter than me. I am basing the statements I make on what I can do and what others can do.
“In the end I will be recognised as the best. I know that people just see me as a good prospect, with a bit of a mouth on him! (But) I am prepared to back up anything I say.”
Bellew’s carried an injury into the Jevgenijs Andrejevs and Phil Goodwin fights (Goodwin was dispatched in two rounds), the fighter told me that the hand problems are behind him. “I had an operation in December to sort the hand out. The last three fights I was boxing with one hand, which is not ideal,” he said. “The index finger on my left hand had moved over a bit and I had split the sheet that covers your knuckle, so I was punching on raw tendon and bone. It was very painful and I went through the last three fights with it.
“My surgeon did a great job. I can now get full contact into my shots. The hand is nearly at one hundred percent now. Come my next fight I will be letting it go, and my opponent will be left sitting down.”
Bellew injured his hand during the destruction of Hastings. Tony had been last on the bill that night. When he finally got into the ring he was a raging bull. Tony told me that the injury was part-power, part-frustration.
“To be honest I did it on Rasani’s head!” laughed Bellew when asked about his injury. “I was last out at the MEN and so was wound-up that night. I kicked a camera, punched a door, and was breaking lockers due to the frustration and anger. I got into the ring and let it all out on Rasani!
“I usually go into the ring with a calm head on my shoulders. I never look for the first round stoppage, it came that night because of my frustration and anger, and the injury happened.”
Bellew decided to drop down a weight in order to campaign at light-heavyweight as a pro; I asked Tony if this is a risk. “I am not going to lie and tell you I do the weight easily, because I don’t,” he answered. “We get the weight off as the fight approaches, and we do it over a period of time. It is tough but I live the right type of lifestyle. For my pro debut I was 12st 7b, just to prove that I could get in on the weight.”
With the weight under control the path is now set, for Bellew it is a case of ‘world domination or bust’. “I want to win everything at light-heavyweight! Only Chad Dawson stands out for me, and by a country mile, he is world class and a few years ahead of me. I hope to step up to his level one day,” declared the bubbly Liverpudlian.
The fighter knows that the domestic division is there for the taking. Dean Francis wrested the British title from Tony Oakey using a blend of grit and talent. Cleverly then defeated Oakey by using his boxing skills, before blowing away Danny McIntosh to add the British belt to his title haul. Bellew has taken all of this in, and feels that he can match those men.
He explained: “I want to fight guys who are above me in the rankings. Guys like (Darren) Stubbs are out there, the Oakey’s, and the likes of Nathan as well.”
With his lankily languid frame and inside game, Bellew is reminiscent of a certain US heavyweight. When asked about Riddick Bowe, Bellew confirmed that ‘Big Daddy’ is one of his favourite fighters. “I’m a huge fan of Bowe. He is my favourite heavyweight,” he affirmed.
“There are certain things about him that I can compare with myself. Bowe was a big guy who could fight on the inside, and I can too. I love the way he fought, everything about him to be honest. I’ve got all his fights. I like to box inside but won’t get drawn into wars. I am very effective on the inside so if I have to go looking for people there I will find them.”
Bellew will not countenance failure, but the boxer did make a smart move in getting a trade prior to turning pro, working as an accounts manager for Liverpool council. Bellew explained his thinking.
“I wanted to get a financial background behind me. I did everything I wanted to do on that side of things. I used to work for the council doing ledger accounts. I enjoyed my time there and thank them for what they did for me. This game is tough; it can all end in one fight. I will have something to fall back on. Saying that if it all goes to plan – and it will do – boxing will be my first and last profession.”