Home News Tony Bellew: I’d beat Chad Dawson like Andre Ward did

Tony Bellew: I’d beat Chad Dawson like Andre Ward did

Light heavyweight title contender Tony “The Bomber” Bellew wants to set up a clash with World Boxing Council (WBC) light heavyweight champion “Bad” Chad Dawson, if Bellew beats Roberto Bolonti for the vacant WBC Silver title on the November 17th “True Brit” pay-per-view event, airing live in the United States from Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England.

Bellew believes Dawson is the best light heavyweight in the world and a win over Argentine Bolonti, in the “True Brit” chief support bout to International Boxing Federation (IBF) super middleweight champion Carl Froch’s title defense against Yusaf Mack, should propel Bellew 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.”

“True Brit,” presented by Matchroom Boxing, will be distributed in the U. S. 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.