‘BOMBER’ DIARIES
In his own words, Tony Bellew exclusively reveals to Chris Walker what life has been like in camp as he attempts to become an undisputed world champion
Exclusive training camp updates from Bellew, as his career nears the end
OCTOBER 6, CHICAGO, IL
I’VE been here about 11 days now, getting in some great work. Gav Mcdonnell has got his big fight tonight against Daniel Roman for the world title, and the whole gym is here to support him, as well as working on the fights that we’ve got coming up. America is a whole new world for me now. I can remember coming over here preparing for Roberto Bolonti and there wasn’t a person who had any idea who I was. In the gyms of New York, like Gleason’s and the one in Coney Island, you turn up as a stranger from England and you’ve instantly got to prove yourself against local guys with big reputations, like Marcus Browne and Joe Smith Jnr, with the whole gym watching on. I’m a bit more popular these days, so every gym I walk into over here, everyone is well aware of who I am. The sparring for this trip has been left to the gaffer [Dave Coldwell], and we’ve had to bring guys in rather than just turning up in gyms and seeing who was available. Things aren’t like they used to be and I do miss that bit of turning up somewhere and having to prove yourself, but I’m at a whole new level now so no chances can be taken. I’m happy with the sparring I’ve done here.”
OCTOBER 13, LIVERPOOL
“WE got back from Chicago and it was straight back to it for me. Chicago didn’t end up being the trip we wanted it to be as Gavin was stopped late on in his fight, but I’m proud of the little fella with how he performed and I hope he gets himself back up there soon. I’ve been on the treadmill today and if you ever look at my social media you can see that it’s the one thing about training that I absolutely dread. I’ve been doing it for a few years now and no matter how long you’ve done it for it just never gets any easier. This is just as important as any session, as when a fight gets hard you need to be able to count on your engine and this is what doing the treadmill is all about – building the foundations so you know you’re able to give yourself the best chance possible if the fight becomes hard. I’m expecting the best version of Oleksandr Usyk, so there’s no doubt that this fight is going to be the biggest challenge of my life and that’s why every single last drop of energy is going into every session. I’m going to come out of there with all his belts.”
OCTOBER 19, ROTHERHAM
“I’M happy with this week. Just a few more hard weeks coming up and it’ll be fight night before you know it. Sparring is going well and Dave has got me working on a lot of stuff that I’m happy with because the tactics are going to have to be spot on against Usyk. I’ve said previously that there are two approaches that Usyk could use, and that’s either the version that showed up against Mairis Briedis [Usyk won via majority decision], where I don’t think he respected him that much, or the Usyk we saw against Murat Gassiev, where he stayed on the back foot and didn’t really engage. He took the safe way to [a unanimous points] victory. ³
Ideally, I’d love the Usyk that Briedis got to fight as that works in my favour a lot more, but I’m working on the answers for whatever questions he has for me, because he’s a versatile fighter who can win fights a few different ways.”
OCTOBER 27, LIVERPOOL
“FROM the treadmill, it was straight to Finch Farm, the training base of Everton FC, where I had to take part in a recovery session because it’s been another hard week. This is the time of camp now where it’s more than just training, as promotional duties come into play and I’ve got to sit down with the media as the cameras and microphones come into the gym. Sometimes it can be a distraction, but since becoming a fighter who’s appeared on pay-per-view a few times in recent years, I know that you have to accept the business side of it and sell the show the best you can. The gym has been busy all week with that type of stuff, and you’ve also had Jordan Gill working hard in there as well, as he has a massive fight coming up in a couple of hours. That’s pretty much my Saturday night sorted, as I’ll get home in a minute, spend some time with my family, and then watch Jordan become Commonwealth champion when everyone has gone to bed. Tomorrow is Manchester United vs Everton, so I’ll watch that at home as I’m not allowed to go the match when there’s a fight coming up. It’ll be interesting to see how we get on up there. That will cap off what has been a hard week for me, but I’ll be ready to go again on Monday morning. I can guarantee you that.”
OCTOBER 30, ROTHERHAM
“IT was great to have Jordan Gill in the gym today, showing off a couple of black eyes and his Commonwealth belt to go with it. Ever since he came to this gym he’s been someone I’ve kept a good eye on and that win on Saturday against a good kid in Ryan Doyle is just the beginning for him. He has every single attribute to go on and be whatever he wants to be, and seeing him today, all happy, was a nice distraction from another killer of a session. I can see the end target in sight now and it fills me with excitement when I realise that I’m on the verge of doing something seriously special next Saturday night. Many people are aware that talk of retirement has been mentioned pretty much since the Ilunga Makabu fight [2016], but I’ve been lucky because after doing something as great as that I was fortunate to be handed another chance of something special against David Haye. I closed the door on that little rivalry and you wonder what is next, and here I am fighting for every single belt that’s available at cruiserweight. It took something as big as this to get the fire going, and these sessions in the gym, some of the hardest sessions imaginable, are just getting dealt with every day because I want what he has so badly.”
NOVEMBER 2, ROTHERHAM
“THE final drive towards Sheffield. The final stay in the little hotel that has been my home from home for the last four or five years. I’m talking like I’ve already retired, but next Saturday night is when you will see me go out in style. I’m not going to lie about the future because I don’t know what’s going to happen, but at this moment it looks like next Saturday is the perfect time to go out with all the belts. My career probably serves as a reminder to everyone that you should expect the unexpected from me, but it certainly looks like retirement at this stage. I look at boxing now, and what I’d do to be turning professional today when there’s so much money and opportunity in the game. I was pretty much at a dead end with amateur boxing when I tried to turn pro, and the only fella who showed a bit of interest was Mick Hennessy, and I was someone who had won three ABA titles and represented my country on so many occasions. Those early days were hard. Not hard in the physical sense, but hard because one loss meant you took a hit on your money and two losses made sure that I was back on nightclub doors or in the bedding factory six days a week doing whatever to look after a young family. I think I finally cracked it in the end, but it would’ve been nice if I’d met [promoter] Eddie [Hearn] sooner and gone to Dave [Coldwell] earlier in my career. Goodison Park and the David Haye fights came at a time when I was in my mid-30s, on my way out, and although I’m grateful to have left my mark on the sport, I’m so happy for the next generation of Liverpool lads, like Callum Smith and Anthony Fowler, who are in the sport knowing that there’s TV shows on almost every week and you can go and fight in America, too. I don’t want to reflect too much as there’s one more hard night left for me and I fully believe the way I’ve come up in this sport is going to give me everything I need against Usyk next week. Nathan Cleverly, Adonis Stevenson, Goodison Park and David Haye are all in the past now, but the lessons from all of them have made me the fighter I am. I’ve loved my time in boxing, I’ve met some of the best people imaginable, but there’s still one more fight left in me and I intend on knocking Oleksandr Usyk out.”
'THINGS AREN'T LIKE THEY USED TO BE , AND I MISS THOSE DAYS'