TONY BELLEW is out to become a cruiserweight king after his night of crowning glory. The diehard Everton fan achieved his dream of winning a world title at Goodison Park as he flattened Ilunga Makabu in the third round on Sunday night to claim the WBC belt. Click Here To Read More]
I know Lebedev doesn't have the size of some of the other top cruisers, but he's the best in the division right now to me. He boxes Bellews balls off and ko's him in the mid to late rounds
I think he's basing it on holding the WBC belt which many consider to be the best of the alphabet titles.Perhaps, but whether that's true or not, you don't automatically become number 1 because you win the WBC title. He beat the number 5. He won a vacant belt. And until the Makabu fight, let's be honest, he'd looked pretty lousy at 200lbs.
I don't agree that the WBC is any more prestigious than the others, to be honest. It's just as corrupt as the rest. Just look at how they've let the middleweight title be held hostage by fighters insistent on catchweights. For me, the WBC, IBF, WBO and WBA organisations are as shady as one another. There's always a new scandal every couple of weeks. I think the WBC is the nicest belt to look at, and I believe it might be the oldest (it's definitely older than the WBO and IBF), but in 2016, it's not any more 'special' than the others and winning it certainly doesn't make you the number 1 in the division.
Makabu was ranked no 5, so not sure how Bellew can claim to be the no 1 now but anyway....Lebedev bashes him up, wherever the fight is held.
I think he's basing it on holding the WBC belt which many consider to be the best of the alphabet titles.