By Edward Chaykovsky
This past Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London, WBC cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew pulled off a strong early candidate for "Upset of The Year" when he moved up to the heavyweight division and stopped massive favorite David Haye in eleven dramatic rounds
Haye had controlled the first five rounds as expected, but then suffered a right leg injury in the sixth round and the entire fight changed from there.
Bellew is now unlikely to return to the cruiserweight division and finds himself in line for another huge payday against heavyweight champions Deontay Wilder and Joseph Parker.
Bellew vs. Haye was a major fight in the UK, and reportedly the early pay-per-view figures for Sky Sports Box Office are very strong.
Another blockbuster pay-per-view is potentially going to happen in September - if everything comes together in the next few months. Provided they both win their upcoming fights, there could be a middleweight collision between Gennady Golovkin and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. Golovkin will have to beat Daniel Jacobs on March 18, while Canelo must get past Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on May 6th.
Bellew is a big fan of both boxers. He feels Canelo is the best counter-puncher in the sport, while Golovkin is one of the best overall boxers in the world. Golovkin traveled to the UK last September, at the O2 Arena, and stopped Kell Brook in five rounds.
If Canelo vs. Golovkin comes together, Bellew is picking the IBF, WBC, WBA, IBO champion to win by knockout.
"If Golovkin and Canelo happens, then I predict a brilliant fight. I can make a case for both winning as I believe Canelo is the best counter puncher in boxing since Mayweather retired, but I just can’t look past Golovkin’s power and brilliant boxing ability. I’ll go for ‘GGG’ by late stoppage," Bellew said to On The Ropes Boxing Radio.
