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Tony Bellew, beaten but not bowed by one of the best fighters in the world, Oleksandr Usyk, is determined to seek peace and quiet in retirement, the dividend of his loud endeavours, as “plain Anthony, my real name”.
Whether that is what appears on any Hollywood billboards the 35‑year‑old former world champion is likely to grace in years to come will be up to the movie people he worked with two years ago in Creed. Whatever they want to call him, Bellew brings authenticity to everything he says and does.
It has been the Liverpudlian’s calling card since his first professional bout, 11 years ago at 24. Relatively late moving from the amateurs (where he thought an ABA title would be the height of his achievements), he went on to create, slowly at first and then with unstoppable energy, a highly entertaining “madness”, as he calls it.
And he coped admirably with the fact that the last of his 34 paid fights, in front of 20,000 fans in the heaving Manchester Arena on Saturday, resulted in the incomparable Ukrainian landing a left hook in the eighth round that disconnected him from his senses. It was always going to be Bellew’s last fight but, against expectations, after seven rounds he was leading on points against one of the sport’s finest technicians, by three points on one card, one on another and level on the third. Curiously, it was his finest achievement, surpassing even his stoppage wins over David Haye.
Usyk, the first undisputed cruiserweight champion since Evander Holyfield 30 years ago, now slips seamlessly into the vacancy in the Matchroom roster left by Bellew’s departure, and will step up to heavyweight in 2019, when he likely will have two fights – possibly against Dillian Whyte in the UK and the Russian Alexander Povetkin in Kiev – before being groomed to challenge for the world title against Anthony Joshua later in the year or in 2020, if the champion is still unbeaten.
“I think we’re going to have some good times here,” the fighter said, smiling in Eddie Hearn’s direction. The promoter smiled back.
Usyk, an intelligent and private man who is rarely far from his Bible, said: “Every day I pray and ask God to give me humility. No matter what I do in life and what I achieve, I just want to think of myself as a normal guy.” In boxing terms, he is anything but that. He has power, ringcraft and possibly the best footwork of a big man since Muhammad Ali. A tennis player of some quality, Usyk moves in the ring like his wife, Kateyrina, once did on the dance floor.
He said of Bellew’s spirited challenge: “He is a real man – a true warrior. I was trying to control myself in the first four rounds – trying to box instead of just fighting.” Working his way patiently into the contest, he sensed tiredness in his prey and, after blocking all avenues of escape, he landed heavy southpaw jab, followed by the finishing left hook-cross. Bellew never saw it.
Their embrace at the end was an extension of their mutual respect. As Bellew remarked later: “I’m a huge fan of his. I was before and still am. I look forward to seeing him fight here again, although I don’t know if he is ready for Joshua just yet. But, for anyone around his own weight, he is unbeatable, a nightmare. His footwork is unbelievable. I had nowhere to go.”
Bellew leaves his sport with plenty to think about, refusing to varnish reality. He regretted he had to often play the villain as part of boxing’s hype, but welcomed a return to relative sanity. He railed against former management and paid huge compliments to Hearn and his trainer, Dave Coldwell. And, as a graduate of the hard streets of south Liverpool, he was happy to accept the wealth boxing has brought him in later years, although adding: “It’s never been about the money.”
It is inconceivable the most voluble figure in the fight game will not be back behind a Sky microphone before long but, for now, he just wants to be Anthony again, “leading a normal life”.
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