Tony Bellew: A Timeline Of His Career
A professional boxer from 2007-2018, Tony Bellew is not someone you’d want to mess with.
Nicknamed the Bomber, Bellew was born in Toxteth, Liverpool in 1986 and is the former WBC cruiserweight champion.
30 wins, 3 losses and 1 draw, plus a net worth of £9.6 million ($13 million), let’s take a look at the British Boxer‘s career.
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2007: Bellew Makes His Professional Boxing Debut
Bellew made the jump from amateur to professional in his fight against Jamie Ambler.
Getting off to a fighting start, he had a second round win. Continuing his victory, he went on to have two more wins in the same year over Adam Wilcox and Wayne Brooks.
2010: He Became The Commonwealth Champion
In March 2010, Bellew challenged for the Commonwealth title at the Echo Arena in Liverpool. He beat Atoli Moore, taking the title for his own.
Image Source/Liverpool Echo
2011: Bellew Fights For The WBO Light Heavyweight Title
Fighting Nathan Cleverly in Liverpool, Bellew fought for the WBO Light Heavyweight Title. Cleverly swooped the title with a slim majority decision. One judge scored the fight 114-114, whilst the two others scored it 116-113 and 117-112.
2011: Bellew Wins The British Light Heavyweight Title And The WBC International Belt
The Liverpudlian took on Danny McIntosh for the British light heavyweight title, knocking him out in the 5th round.
Setting his sights more international, he took on Edison Miranda (the former world title challenger) in the same year, for the WBC International Belt. Stopping Miranda in the 9th round, Bellew managed to gain yet another title.
2012: Bellew Competes For The WBC Silver Title
Bellew was injured badly in a match against Roberto Bolonti for the title but that didn’t stop him going a full 12 rounds and bagging a unanimous win.
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In the title eliminator, Tony Bellew fought Issac Chilemba which the judges scored a controversial draw. After being granted a rematch, Bellew went 12 rounds before securing an agreed win.
2013: Bellew Faces Second Defeat Of His Professional Career
Fighting Canadian champion Adonis Stevenson, Bellew made it to the sixth round in the fight for WBC light heavyweight belt.
Stevenson floored the British boxer with a straight left before a second attack saw the referee intervene and Bellew out.
The fight attracted a viewership of 1.3 million followers and was consequently the fifth most watched fight of 2013.
2015: Bellew Appears In the Film Creed
Venturing out into new territory, Tony Bellew acted in the film Creed. The boxer was cast as Pretty Ricky in the Rocky spin-off, starring opposite Michael B Jordan.
Bellew has since admitted that he thought the offer was a joke and he wife thought he was mad.
2016: Bellew Challenged For the EBC Cruiserweight Title
Taking on Makabu, the fight took place at Goodison Park, Liverpool: the home of Everton Football Club. As a massive Evertonian, Bellew had always wanted to play for the team but admitted:
“I never got the chance to play for Everton as I was too fat.”
2017: David Haye vs Tony Bellew Heavyweight
The fight was even until the sixth round when Haye damaged his ankle and fell to the floor twice. Bellew then took control, knocking Haye out of the ropes in the 11th round.
Haye scrambled back to his feet but his trainer gave it up and Bellew won with a Technical Knockout.
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After the mighty win, Bellew considered retirement, feeling as if he has done it all. He had even broke his hand in the early round of fights which eventually led to needing surgery. But he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet.
2018: David Haye vs Tony Bellew Rematch
After his win over David Haye, Bellew could choose between a bout with Joseph Paker, Deontay Wilder or a rematch with Haye. He chose the rematch.
Before the fight came around, it was reported that Haye injured his arm and had no choice but to pull out of the fight.
Hours after the announcement, Tyson Fury released a video calling out Bellew. He said:
“I’ll be ready, willing and waiting to fight Tony Bellew, May 5, O2 Arena, London.”
Bellew declined the fight.
Image Source/Liverpool Echo
Trainer Dave Coldwell said:
“That’s not a fight I would entertain whatsoever. Fury is big, long and very, very clever in that ring. There’s no way that I’d be interested in that fight.”
The Liverpool boxer weighed in 10 pounds lighter than Haye, but knocked him down three times, taking victory in the fifth round.
2018: Tony Bellew vs Oleksandr Usyk
Returning to Cruiserweight, Oleksandr Usyk challenged Bellew to a fight. Accepting the challenge, Bellew stated that the match must take place in 2018 and Usyk took full control, securing victory in the eighth round.
Following his fight with Usyk, Bellew announced his retirement in the ring.
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The boxer has confessed that he always knew it would be his last. He had cracked his ribs three weeks before the match.
It had been the fourth injury in the last four training camps and whilst Bellew refuses to use it as an excuse for the loss, he admits it did signal to him that it was time to hang up the gloves.
2018: Bellew Announced His Retirement
He said:
“I have been doing this for 20 years, and it is over.”
It is known that that less than 1% of fighters globally get to retire financially secure.
Bellew said:
“The stat blows my mind because it is so sad, and I even see former world champions coming over to the UK and begging for work. I am so lucky to be able to make every penny I’ve made work for my family.”
Earlier this year, Bellew admitted that a he could definitely fight again after having the desire to punch something but confessed that he doesn’t feel that he can make it through another training camp.
2019: Enjoying Retirement
Retiring from any sport can cause troubles but Bellew leaving means he has the opportunity to spend time with his children, taking on activities that he would have normally avoided out of fear of causing himself an injury.
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He said:
“I got to go skiing with my eldest son in Manchester. I’d refused to go since a trip to the Alps with my school 20 years ago, such was my fear of injury. Everything came second to boxing for all that time – from experiences to social outings – so I absolutely loved being able to do it again. I can even play five-a-side every week now too.”
Although he admits to feeling a ‘slight itch’ to get back into the ring, the scouser has a focus on guiding other boxers.
He’s definitely not done with the boxing word yet.
2019: Spending Time With His Family
Tony Bellew has known his wife Rachael Roberts for more than 20 years, meeting when they were just nine years old and dating from being teenagers. Bellew is now 36 years old and has three children together; Corey, Cobey and Carter.
He might be a champion but he admits:
“I fear no man but I wouldn’t f**king cross her.”
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