Tony Bellew in favour of new super-cruiserweight division, Usyk vs Wilder for new belt?
- Planet Sport writer
- 8 September 2020
Usyk vs Wilder for the proposed WBC world super-cruiserweight title...
Former WBC cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew has supported the proposed addition of a super-cruiserweight division sanctioned by the World Boxing Council.
Bellew was chosen to head up a committee established by the WBC to investigate Don Majeski's suggestion that a new weight class between cruiserweight and heavyweight be formed.
Having competed in all three of the sport's heaviest divisions, Bellew is well placed to offer comment and feedback on such a proposal.
"I am a fighter who fought obviously at light-heavyweight," Bellew told talkSPORT Fight Night.
"I boiled down to that weight category and then jumped up immediately and went to cruiserweight.
"I've done it, so I understand how tough the weight jump is.
"The difference in all the other weight categories is minimal – 4lbs, 3lbs, sometimes 6lbs.
"The weight jump from light-heavyweight to cruiserweight is from 175lbs to 200lbs – that's 25lbs.
"That's just too much, I get what Don Majeski's saying because in the current game at heavyweight the big boys are too big and the smaller heavyweights are not able to compete with the bigger boys."
Wilder vs Usyk for the super-cruiserweight title?
Bellew believes that former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder and former undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk would be the perfect men to head up the division.
"As great as some of them are – the likes of Oleksandr Usyk – it's looked at now that he's not gonna be able to compete with the monsters," Bellew added.
"Not because of his boxing ability, purely because of his size…
Oleksandr Usyk celebrates victory over Tony Bellew in 2018
"Here's where my thinking goes with the WBC, and I've said this to Mauricio Sulaiman the WBC president.
"I actually like the divisions going from 175lbs up to 190lbs [instead of 200lbs].
"That will make it a bit better for the guys who are struggling at light-heavyweight, but are not monster cruiserweight.
"Then, if I had my way, I would go from 190lbs to 220lbs. You're looking at the 'small heavyweights'.
"I would've fallen into that category quite comfortably, Oleksandr Usyk falls into that category quite comfortably.
Former WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder with his old title
"Deontay Wilder falls into that category quite comfortably, David Haye falls into that category quite comfortably.
"This weight class we're looking to bring in is the perfect thing and if I had complete control of something like this, the first match-up I would look to do would be Deontay Wilder vs Oleksandr Usyk for the belt.
"It's an amazing fight, the division would be relevant immediately with a fight of that magnitude."
