Hearn: Temptation for Bellew was just too much!
Eddie Hearn says Tony Bellew just couldn’t let this opportunity against Oleksandr Usyk pass him by.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn says there was no way Tony Bellew could just walk away from boxing with the opportunity he now has in hand — to become the undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world.
Of course Bellew made some big bucks in his two signature fights against David Haye recently — which he contemplated retiring on — but from a legacy standpoint a fight against undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk was just too alluring for Bellew to let slip through his fingers.
“Tony has won British, Commonwealth, European and World titles. And after the two big wins against David Haye we felt it might be time to walk away. But with him constantly improving and the lure of becoming undisputed king, the temptation was too much,” explained Hearn.
Usyk became undisputed cruiserweight champion en-route to winning the WBSS’ cruiserweight tournament this year, which featured all the other major titleholders in the weight class. But Usyk still has some bigger aspirations, looking up the scales to a potential showdown with unified champion Anthony Joshua.
“For Oleksandr, the plan is to finish his chapter at Cruiserweight on November 10. He will then move up to Heavyweight where he will chase a fight with unified World Champion Anthony Joshua.”
But before Usyk can realize those dreams, he’ll first have to deal with Bellew who will likely leave it all on the line in what’s expected to be the final bout of his career. Bellew has said that he plans to retire whether he wins or loses in this outing, fully expecting the fight to take a physical toll.