Former WBC cruiserweight world titleholder Tony “Bomber” Bellew 30-2-1 (20) has laughed off claims from lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury 25-0 (18) that he wouldn’t fight the outspoken Liverpudlian as he doesn’t want to beat up a cruiserweight.
The 6-foot-3 Bellew has now has had two fights in a row at heavyweight, back-to-back wins against former WBA heavyweight titleholder David Haye. Meanwhile Fury returns to the ring next month after a two-and-a-half year layoff to face Albanian cruiserweight Sefer Seferi 23-1 (21) at Manchester Arena on June 9.
“Someone told me he said he doesn’t want to fight a cruiserweight yet he’s fighting a smaller cruiserweight than me? So it’s very funny,” Bellew said in an interview with iFL TV.
“Oh was it, a heartfelt warning (from Fury)? I love Tyson Fury, he knows I do, but I would definitely punch him in the face with ten ounce gloves on, really hard, and I would punch him much harder than Steve Cunningham did.
“We both know I hit much harder than Steve Cunningham. We all know that.”
Fury fought Steve Cunningham in 2013, beating him by KO7, but he had to get up off the canvas in the second round to do it.
The 35-year-old Bellew still feels that he doesn’t get the credit he deserves for twice defeating Haye, both times by knockout. Bellew dominated their rematch earlier this month, sending Haye to the canvas three times before the bout was stopped at 2:14 of the fifth.
“Just see what I did to that last fella. No-one has ever done that to him and I did. What everyone is going to say he’s an old man, he’s this and that, but I just beat him up and knocked him out,” said Bellew.
“Who’s done that to him? Who’s ever just put him on the floor like I did, I just sat him down with one right hand, bang, down the pipe? Your resistance hasn’t gone overnight, I just dealt with him. No-one’s done that to him.
“Who’s knocked out David Haye like that, ever? Not even Carl Thompson when he had his first loss to him. I just sat him down on the seat of his pants, then put him flat on his face with a left hook. Wladimir Klitschko didn’t even do that to him, I did.
“What’s next? I don’t know. Bring them on.”
Bellew is still undecided as to whether he will fight again in 2018 but revealed he likes the idea of a fight against undefeated IBF and WBA cruiserweight champion Murat Gassiev 26-0 (19), even if his promoter Eddie Hearn remains to be convinced.
“I like that, I do like that. Does it generate enough? I don’t know, but for legacy and all them belts though, I like the sound of it. Eddie doesn’t. But Eddie’s got my best interest at heart,” said Bellew.
 has laughed off claims from lineal heavyweight champion Tyson Fury 25-0 (18) that he wouldn’t fight the outspoken Liverpudlian as he doesn’t want to beat up a cruiserweight.){kind=link}