By Lyle Fitzsimmons
It’s fixing to be a busy weekend in Las Vegas.
Ex-welterweight champs Adrien Broner and Shawn Porter will bring their 144-pound acts to the MGM Grand for NBC’s cameras on Saturday night, while two more former title-holders – Rances Barthelemy at 130 and Antonio DeMarco at 135 – will share its ring for CBS viewers a day later.
But while a crowded TV bill won’t include Lanell Bellows, he’s still planning to put on a big show.
The 29-year-old super middleweight will engage with veteran trial horse Marcus Upshaw in a scheduled eight-rounder on Sunday’s undercard at the MGM – his fourth career appearance at a venue where he’d previously fought on a trio of Floyd Mayweather Jr. shows.
The Missouri-born Bellows scored early stoppages as warm-ups for Mayweather’s defeats of Robert Guerrero, Canelo Alvarez and Marcos Maidana, and he’s performed in Las Vegas on four other occasions as part of a pro run that actually began with three fights in Phoenix in 2012.
He was 6-0-1 with five early wins before suffering his lone loss – via majority decision to Eddie Hunter in a six-rounder in Shelton, Wash. in December 2013. He’s since responded with six more victories to get to 12-1-1 overall, including a unanimous eight-round nod over Hunter on April 30.
The 6-foot-4 Upshaw went the distance in losses to high-profile foes like Edwin Rodriguez (UD 6), Marco Antonio Rubio (UD 12) and David Lemieux (UD 8). He’s 2-2-2 in six bouts since the start of 2014, though his triumphs came by beating foes with a dubious combined record of 1-29.
Bellows sat down for a fight-week interview to discuss Upshaw as a foe, Mayweather as a mentor and the impact he tries to make as both a father (of two boys, ages 10 and 6) and a fighter.
Q: You’re less than a week out from another fight night. Talk to me about what the final week is like. What are you feeling the most? Anxious? Excited? Nervous? Impatient?
A: I'm just basically excited to get out there and fight again. Anxious to display my hard work and dedication.
Q: When you look at Upshaw as a fighter, what’s the first thing that jumps out? What about him do you have to make sure that you’re prepared for?
A: His length and height.
Q: You’re just more than three years into your pro career. Can you assess where you stand and how it compares to where you thought you’d be or wanted to be at this point?
A: I'm actually where I never knew I'd be. Boxing is a profession that I chose at the last minute. And I am thankful to be where I am in the sport thus far.
Q: How important, in terms of the career timeline, is this weekend’s fight? Do you feel extra pressure or nerves because you’re still at a stage where a loss could be impactful?
A: All the fights are important. This week I plan to execute my game plan and come away victorious.
Q: What are your short- and long-term goals relating to boxing? Where do you hope to be by the end of this year, and where do you hope or expect to be a year or two down the road?
A: I plan on being in the top 10 (in my weight class), and top 50 in the world. In the long term I want to be a world champion.
Q: Talk to me about your relationship with Floyd. How often are you in contact with him, and what sort of guidance does he provide in your career?
A: We have a very good relationship and speak every time we see each other, He always stops through and shows me different aspects of the game, and knowledge, and things that will help me be a better "KO Bellows.”
Q: Obviously, a lot of fighters would be thrilled to be under the Mayweather Promotions banner and to have the sort of exposure that it provides. What, in your view, are the main advantages it brings?
A: A certain amount of motivation. It motivates me to work harder to make sure I never lose focus.
Q: Everyone sees the atmosphere at the Mayweather gym during the 24/7 and All Access shows. From a fighter’s perspective, what it is like? How does it compare to what you see on TV?
A: It's definitely intense, to see “The Best Ever” doing his job. It's constant excitement and extremely competitive. It's the place for real hard work.
Q: Away from the ring, what is life like? Talk about your relationship with your kids. How important or challenging is it to be a fighter and a father? Is it motivating or does it create more issues?
A: It's definitely motivating and being a parent will always be challenging, and I wouldn't change my job for nobody. It allows me to set a standard of achievement for my sons, so they know you get out of life what you put in – hard work and dedication.
Q: If things go the way Lanell Bellows wants them to on Saturday night, what will it all look like?
A: It will look like Lanell wins by KO if everything goes according to KO Bellows’ plan.
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This week’s title-fight schedule:
SATURDAY
Vacant IBF middleweight title – Montreal, Canada
Hassan N’Dam N’Jikam (No. 1 IBF/No. 8 IWBR) vs. David Lemieux (No. 4 IBF/No. 10 IWBR)
N’Jikam (31-1, 18 KO): Second title fight (0-1); Fourth fight in North America (2-1, 0 KO)
Lemieux (33-2, 31 KO): First title fight; Unbeaten since 2011 (8-0, 7 KO)
Fitzbitz says: Lemieux is the host and the commodity here, and he’s clearly got bigger opportunities within his future grasp. But N’Jikam is no joke, so a surprise will be no surprise. N’Jikam by decision
Last week's picks: 3-0 (WIN: Pedraza, Walters, Wilder)
2015 picks record: 42-9 (82.3 percent)
Overall picks record: 681-232 (74.5 percent)
NOTE: Fights previewed are only those involving a sanctioning body's full-fledged title-holder – no interim, diamond, silver, etc. Fights for WBA "world championships" are only included if no "super champion" exists in the weight class.
Lyle Fitzsimmons has covered professional boxing since 1995 and written a weekly column for Boxing Scene since 2008. He is a full voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Reach him at fitzbitz@msn.com or follow him on Twitter – @fitzbitz.