British light-heavyweight champion Tony Bellew believes boxing must clean up its act in order to see the glory days of the Eighties return to the ring.
The Scouse ‘Bomber’ is furious after being forced to sit on the sidelines for six months since losing a narrow decision to WBO world champion Nathan Cleverly, and is promising to make up for lost time live on Sky Sports this evening.
Returning to the Liverpool Echo Arena, Bellew makes the first defence of his Lonsdale Belt against former European champion Danny McIntosh in a ‘Puncher vs Puncher’ showdown that has got fight fans nationwide licking their lips in anticipation.
And in an exclusive interview with Mersey Gloves, Bellew promised a painful end to the Norwich fighters challenge, while also hitting out at the cowardice of Cleverly and a complete lack of support from his promoter Frank Warren...
MG: How did the fortnight delay affect your fight camp preparations?
TB: “I had to ease off, and I put a pound and a half back on, to allow for the delay. My coaches gave me a couple of days off, and it was frustrating then, I was on the verge of peaking, I was at the top of the mountain. I was just a step or two away from being right on it. But I took the necessary steps to ease off it, and now I feel great again. I’m back where I was and where I need to be. I’m happy. My fitness is good, I’ve enjoyed the camp.”
You’ve been uncharacteristically the silent man since your narrow world title defeat against Nathan Cleverly, why did you go into hiding?
“I never. I’ve just become the forgotten man. I feel like I’ve been punished for that performance, I’ve been left on the sidelines while others have been getting two or three dates and fights. I’ve been left to rot. I’ve been in the gym since January. I went on holiday after the fight, but I’ve had just seven full days out of the gym since September 15th. First I was getting ready for January 28th, then that fell through, and since then I’ve been left in limbo. I honestly feel like I am being punished for a great performance.”
That must be hard to swallow, especially after a fight that could easily of gone the other way?
“Exactly. I could easily of gotten the decision against Cleverly and would have been the new world champion. And make no mistake, I would have been thrust straight into a rematch that would definitely of happened by now. Yet he gets the decision and the things that were agreed upon before the fight, like if it was close, are ignored. And now all of a sudden nobody wants to come near me now. I haven’t heard nothing from my promoter and I get the feeling they just want me to rot. But listen, I’m a strong person mentally, I’m a determined person and nothing will break my spirit. I am determined to become a world champion and nobody is going to stop me getting what I want out of this sport.”
Danny McIntosh is up next then. How does his style compare with Cleverly, and do you think it will suit you to face another big puncher?
“For each fight we’ve had, since I’ve gone back home to (coaches) Mick (McAllister) and Mark (Quinn), we’ve had a game plan. Ovill McKenzie second fight we knew was going the distance so I was going to box and use lateral movement, base everything off the jab. Then the Cleverly fight we knew we were going into a high octane affair, a massive fight with everything based around a huge workrate. Maximizing the output. It wasn’t as much about boxing, it was about getting usper-fit to be conditioned to deal with anything that he’s got.
“We had a gameplan also of sticking out the jab and nailing him with right hands as he came in, and to be fair if my right hand hadn’t broke in the second round I truly believe I would of knocked him out with that right hand. But it is what it is, that’s boxing and I get on with it. But I still maintain I won that fight – boxing for 10 rounds with one hand. He had no answer to my jab, and if I were able to land right hands on the back of those double jabs I’d of knocked him out. But listen, you don’t cry over spilled milk and I’ll go again.
“Its not like I’ve needed to go back to the drawing board. I proved then that I am a fighter with world class capabilities – I’m there or there abouts. And I’ll show that again against Danny McIntosh.”
Trash talking aside, how highly do you rate McIntosh?
“He comes with big credentials. He’s a former European champion, and he’s gone abroad and knocked people out. He’s been around and stopped the ever-durable Tony Oakey, so he is dangerous. And I do respect him for what he’s got and what he is. But make no mistake I’m going to take him apart at the Echo Arena on Friday night. He’s just not going to live with what I’ve got. I’ve got a gameplan that 100% he will not be able to live with, I know that for a fact. When I start touching Danny he’ll have flashbacks of being back in Germany, flahsbacks of being back in the ring with Cleverly, and he’s just not going to want to be in there with me. I’m going to completely dominate this fight, and ultimate smash him to bits.”
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| Tony Bellew and Danny McIntosh collide at the Echo Arena in Liverpool tonight |
How does that make you feel, when you fight for a world title and lose a close decision, then eventually you come back and are matched with a former European champion – and a dangerous puncher – while the guy who kept the belt is matched up against two opponents ranked well outside of the world top 50?
“How do you think I feel? The guy has had two soft touches lined-up, against a guy ranked 54 and a guy ranked 80-odd, while I get back in with a former European title holder who can really bang with the right hand. You’d think that I was actually the winner and he was the loser… How does that make me feel? Well, it’s sad really and I believe that its wrong that they are conning boxing. That’s how I look at it. They’re conning the fans. But what can I do? If Cleverly is happy fighting that level of opponents then he’s showing the mark of the man he truly is.
“I fought Ovill McKenzie in the first fight and I wasn’t happy with my performance, and I told him in the ring, ‘We’ll do a rematch.’ And I think he thought I was talking a load of cobblers, but I don’t want to scrape past people. I don’t want there to be any doubts in a decision and, for me, the first McKenzie fight was too close. So I gave him the rematch and proved my point when he was totally outclassed for 12 rounds the second time. And that’s the mark of me.
“I said I would give him the rematch and I stuck by my word. Me and Cleverly agreed to do it again if our fight was close, and it doesn’t come much closer than the first fight, but where is he? If he’s happy to put his head on his pillow at night then something’s not right. I go to bed some nights and think, ‘I done enough, at worst it was a draw.’ So how can he sleep and think, ‘I’m happy with that. I scraped by someone and was fortunate to get a decision.’ I’m a man, I’d want to prove to everyone that I was better than him. And I am willing to go again with him any time.
“I’m happy to go on record and state that if I ever have a close fight with anyone, anyone, I will give them a rematch. I never want to scrape by anybody. I want to beat everybody convincingly. I either want the knockout or I want a clear points victory. And if that takes a rematch every now and again, then so be it. Like with Ovill McKenzie, I’ll do it. But it’s obvious that Natan Cleverly doesn’t have the same opinion as me. If he genuinely thinks he beat me in second gear then he should definitely fight me again, because a rematch with me makes more financial sense than anybody else. It’s a far more marketable fight to face me again than to face anybody else. It’s a no brainer for me.”
Coming back to the McIntosh fight again then, you have a new set-up with new promoters – who won the purse bid – involved in your career for the first time. How has the process been working with Dave Coldwell and Eddie Hearn?
“Dave Coldwell has done great, and it’s refreshing to see him doing really well. But it’s also really refreshing to see Eddie Hearn coming on board as well, to say, ‘You know what I’ll work with you Dave. Let’s give it a go and see how it goes.’ And for me that’s really great. I keep saying it that boxing needs to become a transparent sport. Everybody needs to be able to see what is going on and how things are moving. The sooner boxing gets to that the better. At the moment boxing is still very cloak and dagger. At the moment my manager is telling me one thing, my promoter is telling me another – and my manager and promoter are the same guy! So how does that work?
“It’s very behind closed doors and hush, hush, but I think both Dave and Eddie are very transparent. They’re telling people what is there, what’s on offer, we do this here and this is how we do that. This is what is available to you, this is what is available to me. That makes this, this makes that, and you’re due this. I am happy with that. And I am not saying I want all the pie to myself, not for one minute. But what I am saying is that if I’m creating a good pot then it’s only right that a good chunk of that pot goes to me, and the promoter, and the other fighter and to the managers or whatever. But I just like to know what was in the pot in the first place.
“I don’t like being told, don’t worry wants in this pot, don’t worry what he’s getting, don’t worry what everybody else is getting. You’re getting that – and for me, that’s wrong. That’s why boxing needs to become transparent… Very much like the way the UFC is.”
The Ultimate Fighting Championship announce immediately after every event what the gate made, how many tickets were sold and who is getting paid what wages. Are you saying you’d like that to happen in boxing too?
“And that’s fantastic. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe you should announce exactly what everybody has received in wages as that’s a little bit tough. But, if that’s what boxing needs to clear it up then I’m all for it. I really am. The sooner we all start knowing exactly what these big fishes are getting, what these fighters are getting, is better for me.
“If boxing wants to get back to the glory days, the Benn-Eubank days, the ITV days, then boxing needs to become a sport that people can believe in again. Fans need to know what they are seeing and that they are going in to see a fair fight, where both fighters are happy going into a fight. Rather than one fighter going into a fight unhappy with what he is getting, but unable to do anything else because there is nothing else he can do in life.”
How has this situation then affected your relationship with Frank Warren, your manager and promoter?
“Listen, on a personal level I’ve got a good relationship with Frank Warren. Frank Warren is a very hard man to dislike. He’s a good fella. He’s sound, Frank’s cool. But I just feel like they’ve forgot about me, that’s what I feel like. I’ve been forgotten about. As I say, Frank is a very hard person to dislike. When you speak to him personally he’s a good guy, a good fella. But it is what it is. I’ve just got to get on with it. Frank’s my manager and promoter, even though he’s not promoting this fight… See it’s a hard thing for me to answer because I don’t understand how certain purse bids get won, when I know that I generate more money that what is being bid. So for me, that’s a little bit crazy. I can’t get my head around that. How can somebody fighting in a small arena in Wembley, against a fighter who he’s already beat, be generating more than I do… I don’t know, I don’t understand it. This is boxing, it’s politics…
“I just want to be treated fairly, like the other fighters on Frank’s books. And right now I’m not being treated the same. I mean, look at the TV channels, look at the press releases. Has anybody seen a press release from Frank Warren’s office about me in the last six months? That’s all that needs to be said. And that’s the biggest office in the country for banging out releases… All that needs to be asked is, ‘Why is that?’"
* Tickets for ‘The Big Bang’ will be available to purchase on the door tonight, priced at £30, £40, £60 and £80, with a small number of VIP tickets at £150. For more info ring the box office on 0844 8000 400.
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