I Dont think bellews the fighter his fans on ESB talk him up to be

Its easy to get tangled up in all that, fight it mate. :good

 

Bellew has good boxing skills but I think he's going to come unstuck against someone like Chad. His shots can be predictable and a good counter puncher would take advantage. It was a good win considering the circumstances.

Bellew might as well test the waters with the big boys now IMO.

 

I like Bellew as a bloke - lets get that out the way first.

But, I thought he looked predictable, pre cut and post cut. His left jab is almost hesitant and could be such a better weapon.

 

Really?

You don't say?

Fascinating.

Worth waiting for. We are lucky to have posters capable of such deep, impartial insight on this forum. Thanks IRONSENSE.

 

People can slate Bellew all they want but two years ago he was struggling against English/British level fighters, he's up there with Selby and Burns as Britain's most improved fighters, he's done very well in a short space of time recently IMO.

Let's be honest, after the Ajisafe and Mckenzie fights did you honestly even think he'd go past British level? Everyone was ripping him to shreds on here.

I see him as a fringe world level fighter at the minute, who knows give it another 18 months he may continue to improve and become the world class fighter he believes he can be, he's certainly talented enough.

As for last nights performance I thought it was perfectly acceptable considering the cut, he was far too keen to get his man out of there though, especially early on, when he works behind his jab and uses his intelligence he's a hard man to beat.

 

Can't argue with that.:good

 

Bellew is improving in every fight, i though last night he was brilliant after he got the cut. Before the cut he was dominating but was missing with some big winging shots. He was headhunting, but its what he said he was going to do. Before the cut he had Bolonti down twice and it looked like the stoppage would be soon. After the cut he boxed smart and won every round. There isnt alot more that you can ask from him. Bellew has his flaws, But in my mind there is no doubt that he can trouble any fighter in the division. He's tall has a great jab, can box of the back foot, can go toe to toe or stick to a game plan. Hes got power(Not one hit spark out power, but thudding power that takes its toll thouroght the fight, sort of like cotto) He has shown that he also has more than a plan A, plan B, and has also proven that he can take a shot. He looked predictible in the first few rounds last night.

I think Bellews main problem is feeling the pressure to impress, i was at the Adjisef fight in London a while back when he had pressure on him to impress, and he went head hunting again looking for the big shot.

If Tony does what he does best which is box smart of his jab early, landing big shots when he can and not wasting them, i think he will get alot more stoppages this way as his punches have an effect down the line. He just needs to relax and take his time, this will come hes learning every fight. I see him as a world champion in the future.

 

Exactly! He is a completely different fighter since returning to the rotunda. Mick and Mark have taken him back to basics and I believe he has steadily improved since then which has shown in each fight. I believe he is still very much a work in progress and people seem to forget that although he is 29, he has only had 19 pro fights and is still very much developing within the pro game. I believe he did the right thing in outboxing Miranda rather then getting involved in a tear up, and I think the criticism leveled at him following that fight was unfair. I believe his tactics before the cut in last nights fight though were a reaction to said criticism, but the fact that he was smart and skilled enough to completely change tactics following the cut showed how far he has come in the last 2 years.

 

Thing is...the basic premise of this thread is just wrong. Nobody cracks him up to be Bob Foster.

Flea summed it up well, he's heavy handed and well rounded. No he's not lightening quick, no he's not going to spark everyone out with a single shot, nor is he Ezzard Charles in the pocket. But he's a hard worker, he's given respect to the basics, and he's not an easy nights work for anyone out there.

 

Bellews chances at world level - depend on how the form of the Cleverly fight works out.

After Bellew pushed - Mr Smug - Clev - all the way - they were saying that Bellew has proved himself world class based on that performance.

But bull**** - WBO titles aside - Clev has yet to really prove his World Class.

If Clev goes on and is competitive against Hokins and Dawson and Froch , etc - that is going to reflect well on Bellew - like wise - if Clev gets the smug look wiped off his face and gets outclassed - its going to reflect negatively on Bellews World chances.

There is nothing wrong with the WBO in itself - that Bellew tried to wrest from Clev.

But what did Clev do to get the WBO title ?

Everybody knows - Clevs Promoter - the mans whos name we are banned to mention - can sit down the WBO President and treat him to a 3 course meal of champyne - lobster - and choclate getuex with ice cream at the IVY and by the end of the night he has arranged for one of his fighters to be gifted the WBO title. As long as he picks up the bill for the meal.

 

Not exactly, but did let out this huge emotional scream when he was announced as the new WBC silver champion

 

Tony's not at the elite level yet, he's fringe world class and has a great long jab, right hand KO power and good with feints but I'd like to see more head movement especially when smaller fighters are trying to get inside, but Tony's only had 20 fights and is improving fight after fight. The guy may have not lost a round yet, other than the Cleverly fight! WAR BOMBER!

 

I think he lost a round or two in the first kckenzie fight mate

 

Forget what Cleverly does, Flint. I'm pretty sure Bellew's chances at world class are going to rest on his own performances over the next 18 months. He's going to get a chance somewhere along the line. It may well even be before Cleverly fights a world class opponent at this rate!