Hearn Writes To WBC, Asks For Haye-Bellew Special Event Permit

By Elliot Foster

Eddie Hearn has admitted that the future of the world title held by Tony Bellew is up in the air.

The Matchroom chief said as much in the aftermath of the confirmation of WBC cruiserweight champion Bellew’s huge all-British clash against David Haye.

The pair will meet up at heavyweight on March 4, exclusively live on Sky Sports Box Office, at the O2 Arena in London.

And Hearn has conceded that his charge, whose birthday was on Wednesday when he came head-to-head with Haye at a press conference in the capital, could lose his crown.

“This is a huge event. We’ve written to the WBC, I’ve spoken to [manager] Al Siesta and [Bellew’s mandatory challenger] Mairis Briedis,” Hearn told iFL TV, “and been completely honest with them, this is a life-changing opportunity for Tony Bellew and he wants to knock this geezer out so, so bad, so there’s nothing that’s going to stop Tony Bellew from taking this fight.

“I’ve written to the WBC and said: ‘Look, we would like a special event permit to take this one fight out of the division, in heavyweight, and then we come back and defend the cruiserweight title.’ Or if Tony wasn’t to win –– and he’s not thinking about that, I am –– then we come back and defend our belt as well. Saying that, Tony Bellew’s telling me he’s going to absolutely spark David Haye and then he wants [Anthony] Joshua, [Wladimir] Klitschko, [Tyson] Fury, all of them, at heavyweight.”

Hearn will meet with WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman and sanctioning body officials at their convention in Miami, which runs from December 11 to December 17, and has intimated that he expects a decision to be reached regarding the 200-pound strap at that event.

“We’ll have to see what happens,” he continued to tell iFL TV, “but the WBC are aware of the position and we’ll leave it in their hands.

“There are a couple of things that can happen: he may lose his belt and then fight the winner of Briedis and maybe [IBO cruiserweight king] Marco Huck or he can have the special event permit, come back in May and potentially fight at cruiserweight [as the champion, should the WBC elect to rule for Bellew keeping the title].

“This is absolutely huge: one, as an event, two, as a fight and three, as an opportunity for Tony Bellew.

“This is a fight that I’ve worked very hard to deliver, we’ve delivered it and I cannot wait.”