Tony Bellew is a keen boxing historian and has always been realistic about his own abilities.
The Liverpudlian became world champion at the home of his beloved Everton FC back in May 2016. It came with a win over Ilunga Makabu but not before he was put down hard in the first round, only to recover and get a KO of his own in the third round.
At that point, Bellew had lost only once to Nathan Cleverly and Adonis Stevenson down at light-heavyweight, the latter coming when he was seriously weight drained, and he ended his career with a loss against Oleksandr Usyk in an undisputed cruiserweight title fight in 2018 at Manchester.
In between those losses, he had big wins against the likes of Cleverly in their rematch and BJ Flores, and famously shared two bouts with former cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion David Haye. Both were pay-per-view shows on Sky Sports, and both saw ‘The Bomber’ beat an ageing and injury-prone Haye by stoppage, first in March 2017, then again in May 2018.
Speaking to Coral, Bellew was asked which fighter from history he would most like to have shared the ring with and he went with a former two-weight world champion whilst admitting he’d have been handily beaten.
“I’d have loved to have had a roll around with Evander Holyfield. He’d have knocked 10 living daylights out of me, but I’d have loved to have faced him. Brilliant style, great fighter, absolute legend and an icon of the sport.”
Holyfield is in a select group of men along with Haye and Usyk who have been world champion at both cruiserweight and heavyweight, and is often regarded to be one of the best to have ever done it.
He is perhaps best known for defeating Mike Tyson twice, including the infamous 1997 rematch where Tyson bit his ear. Known for his relentless work ethic, resilience, and technical skill, ‘The Real Deal’ also secured notable victories over fighters like George Foreman, Larry Holmes, and Riddick Bowe, solidifying his legacy as one of boxing’s greatest warriors.