Tony Bellew bows out with health, wealth & reputation intact - Costello and Bunce
Last updated on .From the section Boxing
Tony Bellew will be "one of the few to leave boxing with his health, wealth and reputation intact", says BBC boxing commentator Mike Costello.
The Briton was stopped in the eighth round by Ukrainian undisputed cruiserweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday in Manchester.
After the fight, 35-year-old Bellew said his boxing career was "over", but insisted he had "won at life".
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 live's boxing podcast, Costello added: "In many ways Bellew has had his reputation enhanced in defeat, much like Wladimir Klitschko against Anthony Joshua last year."
BBC analyst Steve Bunce added that Bellew will "never fight again" and is now "rich beyond his wildest dreams".
On the podcast, the pair discuss Bellew's legacy and Usyk's potential move to heavyweight.
'A very big risk-taker'
Bellew fulfilled his dream of becoming a world champion in 2016, beating Ilunga Makabu to win the WBC cruiserweight title at his beloved Goodison Park.
After one title defence he stepped up to heavyweight and twice beat compatriot David Haye in two lucrative fights, before returning to cruiserweight to face Usyk.
Bellew, competing in his 34th professional fight, impressed in the early rounds, but Usyk grew into the bout and floored his rival with a devastating knockout.
Costello: Bellew's made an awful lot of what he had, and you can describe natural talent in many different ways, but one of the most important elements in boxing is determination, desire and bottle - and he had those in abundance.
Bunce: He married those with a good boxing brain and a boxing brain that definitely improved. I would argue those first three rounds [against Usyk] were the finest three rounds of his entire career.
In the Usyk fight, the two Haye fights and Makabu fight, there were a lot of tactics involved and a lot of power, but what was also needed was an awful lot of heart and guts.
He suffered a broken hand against Haye, he was under steady pressure against Usyk and against Makabu he was on the floor and had his nose broken. He drew on a combination of grit and bravery and there also has to be a little bit of ridiculous fearlessness and heart.
The top ones push themselves to and through pain barriers. They get abused and get hurt and hit. They put themselves in danger's way. That is what Bellew has done repeatedly.
Sure, he annoys and infuriates people sometimes with his repeated soundbites. But, at the end of the day, he has never let us down when it comes to getting in there and risking it all. All boxers are risk takers and Bellew proved himself to be a very big risk-taker.
Three years ago if you'd have said to Tony, 'you'll have four more fights, win a world title and make £5m', he'd have sold his granny. The bottom line is it might be nearer £20m in two and half years.
He has catapulted himself by grabbing that microphone, taking control of his career, telling us what we wanted to see, delivering what we wanted to see and doing what he said. He stepped above those lines and started to make those vast sums.

'He can compete as a heavyweight, no two ways about it'
In his past three outings, Usyk has now beaten Latvia's Mairis Bredis in Riga, Russia's Murat Gassiev in Moscow and Bellew in Manchester, earning and defending the IBF, WBA, WBO and WBC titles in the process.
The 31-year-old - who has four wins in 14 months - said it was "too early" to threaten moving up a division for a shot at unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Usyk is 6ft 3in and weighed in for the Bellew fight at 14st 2lb. Joshua is 6ft 6in and weighed 17st 8lb for September's victory against Alexander Povetkin.
Costello: It does seem the momentum is beginning to quicken for a contest between Usyk and Joshua if they keep winning. Where he has to find the balance is between the weight and how many of those skills does he deplete by putting on extra poundage.
Bunce: There are plenty of heavyweights he can find that out against. He is not Anthony Joshua's next opponent, but every heavyweight will fancy it. They will consider him a fantastic scalp.
He can compete as a heavyweight, no two ways about it. Can he compete against the 6ft 6in plus of Deontay Wilder, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury? I don't know. But Usyk's frames allows him to carry more weight.
These three or four giants at the moment [Joshua, Wilder, Fury] are yet to be beaten by ordinary men, that's the slight problem. But if an Evander Holyfield or a Mike Tyson at his peak was around, you think they'd find a way to do it. So perhaps Oleksandr Usyk can find a way to do it.
Before the Bellew fight, we said he [Usyk] is the guy in late 2019 and 2020 who will be in the heavyweight mix. All that the Bellew win showed was that is definitely the case.
Comments
Join the conversation
Not a boxing legend, but a legend in boxing, perhaps?
Fantastic effort. He actually out-jabbed Usyk for the first 3 rounds and forced him into thinking a little. He has achieved far more than most ever expected of him.
It is interesting you think Wilder would beat AJ when all his career Wilder has done all he can to avoid the best fighters. Wilder has dodged AJ from the start and tried to make it look the other way around. AJ will smash him.
Sure he had his losses, and at times he killed himself making weight (he should never have been a light heavyweight) but he gave some fantastic performances. He should enjoy his retirement.
Fought 2 top level fighters & sparked twice. Haye couldnt walk in both fights fact.
Won a world title without beating a champion & failed to even defend it.
Casuals have it rammed down their throats that guys like bellew ritson okole egginton etc are world class.they arent.
But hearn & sky hype it so people fall for it.
- Haye moved up and beat a much bigger Valuev (who was limited)
- Cunningham dropped Fury when he moved up from CW
- Wilder was almost stopped by a 6'3" Ortiz
- 6'2" almost 16st Povetkin gave AJ a tough night.
Usyk might not beat these guys but he could make a real fight of it.
"Usyk isn't going to get offers to fight at Cruiser....I think Pulev might be next for him, he wont dodge it."
Agree with the lack of fights at CW, but I don't think Pulev would be interested. He became the mandatory for AJ by beating H Fury and will get millions fighting AJ.
I would love to see Usyk vs Parker though. Or Usyk vs Whyte.
"Typical overrated matchroom/sky fighter.casual fans believe the hype.
"
Sometimes the most compelling boxers (or indeed sports people) aren't the best from a technical perspective. It's their very limitations that make them compelling. TB was exciting because he wasn't the best technical boxer. People watch sport for the drama/excitement, not always for excellence.
"Wilder has dodged AJ from the start and tried to make it look the other way around. AJ will smash him."
Honestly if you listen to guys like Fury and Whyte, it's not really AJ or DW's fault. It's guys like Hearn and Al Haymon who want to protect their money makers.
He can retire with his reputation intact, as a good boxer who used his talents as best as he could. You can ask no more