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| Picture by Lawrence Lustig |
Tony Bellew wants to set up a clash with Chad Dawson for the WBC light heavyweight World title if he beats Roberto Bolonti for the vacant WBC Silver title at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, live Sky Sports on November 17 in Betfair’s ‘True Brit’.
Bellew believes Dawson is the best light heavyweight in the world and a win over Argentine Bolonti in the chief support bout to Carl Froch’s IBF super middleweight World title defence against Yusaf Mack should propel The Bomber into the WBC top five.
The Liverpool boxer has his sights set on the WBC World title and while he would like to become Dawson’s mandatory challenger, Bellew isn’t ruling out an IBF World title shot against Tavoris Cloud.
“I want to put the pressure on someone like Chad Dawson to face me,” he said. “I am not a lucrative match for people to face and I believe I am maximum risk and minimal reward, so I have to force one of these champions into facing me.
“It might not be a WBC it might be an IBF challenge to Tavoris Cloud, I don’t know which it is going to be but all I want to do is become a mandatory challenger, very similar to the way Kell Brook has done it.
“Roberto Bolonti is another step in the right direction, it is a WBC eliminator and it is for the Silver title. He is number five with the WBC and this should propel one of us into the top three in my opinion, so I am hoping to get fast tracked to the WBC and I have stated for a long time that the WBC is the belt I would like to win. I believe it is the best belt in boxing, so it would be a dream come true.
“I believe Chad Dawson is the best light heavyweight in the world. I know he had the contentious fight with Jean Pascal but I believe he would have stopped Pascal if the fight would have been allowed to carry on, so I think Pascal got really lucky the cut came when it did.
“I do believe that Dawson is the best in the division and aside from him I feel everyone is on a level playing field. Bernard Hopkins, in terms of experience, is up there with Dawson but as an actual fighter I believe Dawson is proven to be the best light heavyweight out there. But I would be happy to fight him. There is now a blueprint to beat Chad Dawson after what Andre Ward did to him, so I would be happy to go in there and carry out what Ward did to him.”
Tickets for Betfair’s ‘True Brit’ are on sale now priced £40, £60, £80, £120 and £200 from the Capital FM Arena Box Office on 08444 124624 and at www.capitalfmarena.com – VIP packages are available exclusively from Matchroom Sport on 01277 359900 and at www.matchroomboxing.com
Betfair’s “True Brit,” presented by Matchroom Boxing, will be distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 3:00 PM/ET – 12:00 PM/PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, DISH Network and Avail-TVN for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.
“True Brit” will also be available to view via Fight Now TV, America’s only 24-hour combat sports and entertainment channel, on Cablevision channel 464 as part of the iO Gold package.