GUEST COLUMN
Why I’m ghting a man from Liverpool
Cruiser king Usyk believes that beating Bellew will lead to Anthony Joshua
IMIGHT be fighting in Manchester but I’m up against a man from Liverpool, which is a place where I have some great memories. I became the European amateur champion there back in 2008 which doesn’t feel like 10 years ago. I visited the Beatles museum and after winning in the final I went to a drum and bass disco.
What I can really remember is what happened afterwards. It was around 4am and we had to catch the bus to the airport. A young lady was sitting down on the ground, drunk. I asked her if she was alright and to get up, and she said ‘f**k you!’
It was four o’clock in the morning and we were leaving the hotel for the airport - we weren’t out until 4am ourselves. After the fight we had a party afterwards but we came back to the hotel. I asked her to get up because it was a bit cold for her and she said what she said. So actually, I have nice memories.
I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest Beatles fan but when I have a chance to visit a legendary place like the Beatles museum I will definitely take it. It’s historic. I wore a red tie to the initial press conference but it was not because of Liverpool FC. The team I support is Manchester City and that’s because a friend of mine, Alexander Zinchenko, plays for them. We went out for breakfast together on the morning of the press conference.
Honestly, I wasn’t surprised at all when Tony Bellew agreed to the fight. I knew he would say yes. I’ve been watching him from around the middle of his career. I watched his fight against Adonis Stevenson, because he [Stevenson] is a southpaw like me, and I’ve watched some of
‘I ASKED IF THE LADY WAS ALRIGHT. SHE SAID, F**K YOU!’
his recent fights to get prepared for Tony.
People have asked me whether I think he beat David Haye twice because Haye was old. But maybe it’s not a matter of David Haye but it’s a matter of Tony Bellew.
During their first fight, I supported Tony 100 per cent but I wasn’t sure he would win. And then the second fight I realised he had a very good chance of victory.
It’s a matter of fact that he is a great fighter and really strong. It’s also a matter of fact that he will prepare properly for this fight as if it really is his last fight.
One reason we have agreed to fight Bellew is to get to Anthony Joshua .
It’s the best way, the shortest — not the easiest — way to fight Anthony. That’s why this is the perfect fight at the perfect time. It is exactly part of the strategy and why we have this co-operation with Eddie Hearn.
He has Tony, he has Anthony, he has Dillian Whyte and a couple more heavyweights. I would need to have a fight at heavyweight first before going for AJ and I tell you why: this fight against Joshua has to become the No,1 fight for the whole world. That’s why I would need to build up my profile as a heavyweight.
I was ringside at Wembley when Joshua fought Povetkin. The fight was thrilling for myself, I loved the way he finished it. I was excited by the fight and I was excited by how Alexander Povetkin started the fight. He was leading according to my scorecard.
But there were a couple of rounds where Anthony went back to the corner smiling, he seemed relaxed. There are a couple of reasons for that: he might have been pretty confident that it won’t last long from Povetkin’s side. Or the second reason might be that Anthony was confident of switching it on at any moment and knocking Povetkin out. In the end, he was right to be smiling.
Wembley was crazy stuff. Just everything about it: the songs and just the best fans ever. My hair was standing on edge the whole time. Who knows, maybe one day I will get the chance to box there myself.