THE FUTURE
The man of the moment, Tony Bellew, outlines his options exclusively to us
After triumphantly emerging from the shadow cast by David Haye, Tony Bellew must now decide what to do next. Plot another chapter in an increasingly impressive career, or retire. The last two years inside the ring, stacked with excitement and glory, were cruelly darkened by the tragic passing of Bellew’s adored brother-in-law, Ashley Roberts, a man who has remained by the fighterès side even in death. +ere, %ellez opens up to Chris Walker about the immediate aftermath of the Haye rivalry and, as pressure builds to make the right decision for his healing family, he ponders his potential next steps...
DO you want me to be honest? I lay down in bed after the David Haye fight and it didn’t even feel like I’d been in a fight because so many thoughts were just going around my head. I hate being by myself when all I can think about is Ashley. I done an interview after the fight with IFLTV telling Kugan [Cassius] that my life is just a big mess, and I stand by it. When I’m on my own, and a fighter spends so much time on his own, I have no idea what to do because all I’m surrounded by is Ashley. I literally can’t get him out of my head. These last few months have been the hardest of my life, and it has nothing to do with boxing, even though it did frustrate me when the rematch with David was called off in November. Seeing my family in so much pain, knowing that there was not really much I could do, but try to take their minds off things, was getting to me so bad. There were times I’d lie in bed unable to sleep thinking whether I should just retire and put everything into my family because it got to the point where I wouldn’t even think about boxing.
It ended up being a welcome distraction in the end because there was moments in the build-up to the rematch when I’d be with my team in the gym and I could focus on boxing, but those brief minutes were only short and it’d only take one little thing to get me thinking about being there for my family again. Dave Coldwell, my trainer, and the rest of my team were fantastic in getting my mind on the job at hand. Balancing my training schedule with wanting to be there for Rachel and the kids became manageable, and it finally all came together as my camp kicked off.
David’s approach in the fight didn’t really surprise me. I had to take a look at him in the first couple because I needed to know what he had, but once the first two rounds were out the way, I knew I could ³
step it up and that’s when it all started to unravel for him. +e showed incredible heart to keep getting up in the third because he was in a seriously bad way. A lot was said about his courage before his fights with me but take it from me 'avid +aye is a hard man and he kept getting up no matter what punishment I threw at him.
I had to keep getting him to trade with me and he did that because he thought he’d win a shootout with me but I’ve never punched as hard in my whole life as what I was in the build up to this fight. :e had a gameplan and it worked so well because 'avid did everything we e[pected him too but I had all the answers. 2nce that left hook in the fifth landed I knew it was close to over and the referee made a sensible stoppage shortly afterwards. 2ne of the most personal rivalries of my career was finally over but I have to take my hat off to 'avid for bringing out the very best in me.
:e had a Tuiet word in the ring afterwards where he said some very nice things and I told him that I don’t want to see him in a bo[ing ring ever again. 7he things he has done for %ritish bo[ing are nothing short of sensational so I hope he can he take that and walk away. +e has nothing to prove to anyone not even himself so fighting on is a massive mistake. +e has the legacy and if he’s smart then he can take what
he knows and apply it to the sport in other ways. I hope the people around him who he listens to give him the same advice.
As for my own future I’m also going to have a very long sit down with my missus and decide what’s ne[t for me. At this very moment I’m really unsure because all I want to do is Must be with 5achel and the boys because we really need to be a family right now so we can all help each other get through what’s happening at the moment because it doesn’t seem to be getting any easier at all. :e’re taking it one day at a time and that’s all we can really do at this stage.
:hen >Sky Sports’@ Andy Scott had the microphone in my face we discussed a few possibilities but it’s going to be ticking the bo[es that is the hard thing for me. :hat is out there" And what can realistically be made" I see the winner of >2leksandr@ 8syk and >0urat@ *assiev as a massive challenge and if the :orld %o[ing Super Series final that they’re in can get people talking about them then I’d be happy to sit down with my team and theirs and see what we could possibly do. I fully believed I left the cruiserweight division as the best fighter so going back down and facing the winner of those two would certainly represent a challenge.
Andre :ard was another name discussed but is he happy in retirement" I’m not sure. I hope he is
TYSON FURY AND ANDRE WARD ARE DEFINITELY OPPONENTS I BELIEVE I’D HAVE THE BEATING OF”
but I know how it can be when a challenge stands in front of you and Andre will look at me as someone he thinks can add to his legacy, but that won’t happen if he decides to fight me. I respect him for what he has done inside the sport and out, but there’s not a chance he’s coming to cruiserweight and doing to me what he done to Sergey Kovalev. He left the sport on his terms and I wouldn’t begrudge him enjoying a happy retirement, but he knows where I am, and if he is interested in the fight then me and him can do good business together and give the people a classic fight. I’ve got the answers to beat Ward.
Another one is Tyson Fury. I see he’s been mentioning me over the last few months, and I wouldn’t mind taking that challenge on because I’m certain he can’t hurt me. There’s the size difference to overcome and I’d have to be smart but I believe I’ve got advantages in speed and fitness that could make it interesting over 12 rounds. Fury has been badly hurt by a cruiserweight before and let me tell you that I hit a lot harder than Steve Cunningham. Fury looks to be doing the right things in the gym so we’ll see how his comeback goes, but he is someone that I definitely think I’ve got the beating of.
It’s nice to be at the centre of fighters’ thoughts for the time being because there have been times in my career when other boxers and champions didn’t want to know who I am. I’ve stuck to a plan and worked hard to have this much choice over my career so seeing fighters like Dillian Whyte and Antonio Tarver call me out is refreshing because it used to be me screaming out the bigger names and wanting to test myself against the very best.
So it’s nice to be in this position. But for the next few weeks, I’m going to try and avoid boxing as much as I can and just give myself to my family. I know Rachel wants me to retire, her opinion means everything, and Dave has said similar too. These are people who know me so well and have my best interests at heart so last Saturday was perhaps the ideal way to get out of the sport with all my senses fully working. I’ve won the world title at Goodison Park then gone on to defeat a legend of British boxing twice on the row. That is the fairytale ending for a boxer to go out on, but I’m a fighter, and despite how low it can make you feel at times, I do love the sport. I’m going to have to weigh a lot of things up, but I know whatever decision I make it’ll be the right one for me and my family.
I KNOW MY TRAINER AND MY MISSUS WANT ME TO RETIRE, SO THIS MIGHT BE THE TIME TO GET OUT WITH MY SENSES WORKING”