Bellew Warns Heavyweights: Underestimate Me at Your Own Peril

By Edward Chaykovsky

WBC cruiserweight champion Tony Bellew (29-2-1, 19 KOs) is looking for some more gold, this time in the heavyweight division.

Last Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London, Bellew moved up to the heavyweight division and pulled off what many felt was impossible by stopping his domestic rival David Haye in eleven rounds.

Haye had control for most of the first five rounds, but then suffered a torn Achilles in the sixth and the entire fight changed. Bellew capitalized by unloading with punches, round after round, until he knocked Haye through the ropes in eleventh and the fight was stopped.

Bellew is considering two possible opponents in the near future, and both of them are world champions, WBC champion Deontay Wilder and WBO champion Joseph Parker.

The victory over Haye, injured or not, only made Bellew more confident of being able to take on the best heavyweights in the division.

There are a lot of fans, and fighters, who are downplaying his big win, because in the eyes of many Haye was basically a one-legged fighter.

Bellew is placing all of the critics and heavyweights on notice - underestimate him at your own risk.

“There’s a lot of things being said about me and let’s just remember on Friday night just gone, David Haye was the most avoided heavyweight in the world, he was the bogeyman of the heavyweights – no one dared mention his name," Bellew told Talksport.

“Only two people wanted to fight David Haye and I was one of them, Shannon Briggs is the other one. We’ve got something in common the pair of us – we’ve both got screws loose.

“No champions even whispered David’s name. Yet I go in and do him, and now every single champion wants to know who Tony Bellew is. Because you know why? Because he’s just a fat cruiserweight champion. But you know what? Underestimate me again at your peril.

"I’m not sure what the next move is. But would I like to be heavyweight champion of the world? Yeah right I would. Imagine that: the fat guy winning the heavyweight championship as well as the cruiserweight. Is that realistic? Is it too dangerous? I don’t know – time will tell.”