Bellew to step up to cruiserweight on Saturday night.
Tony Bellew has insisted that “this is it” as he hinted at possibly retiring from boxing if he loses to Valery Brudov in Liverpool on Saturday night.
The 31-year-old steps up to 200lbs in the cruiserweight division against his Russian opponent after unsuccessfully attempting to win a world title at light-heavyweight following his sixth round loss to Adonis Stevenson in Canada last time out.
Following on from that fight, Bellew has targeted the vacant WBO cruiserweight title and will take on Brudov at Liverpool’s Echo Arena hoping to begin his journey to a world title with a win.
However, despite being cautious in the build-up, Bellew has now revealed that he will consider calling time on his career if he is unable to beat his big-punching rival.
“It’s the be all or end all,” admitted Bellew, as reported by Sky Sports.
“It’s that big, if I can’t beat Valery Brudov then I’m not going to be a world champion and I just don’t think there’s much point in carrying on to be totally honest, so this is it for me.
“Make no mistake this is a tough fight, this guy has got more knockouts than I’ve had fights. He has got 28 KO’s, I’ve had 23 fights… 45 fights, he got to 30-0, not many people can say they got to 10-0, this guy got to 30-0.
“He’s tried, tested and proven, he’s solid, and the look in his eye says he’s coming to win, he’s not coming here for a pay day, to make up the numbers, and he is coming to win.
“He just said to me ‘god bless you’, I think he’s trying to tell me I’m going to need it.”
However, Bellew is confident about his chances on Saturday and has promised fight fans an entertaining night as he believes that he will be much more comfortable as a cruiserweight.
Kell Brook will also feature on the bill as he takes on Alvaro Robles with news earlier this week confirming he will have a title shot this summer if he comes through unscathed on Saturday night.
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