Tony Bellew might not appear as much of a threat due to his body type that makes it seem like he does not put in as much work as his opponents in training. Nonetheless, don’t be deceived by this as the professional boxer, who has fought in three different weight classes, packs a mean punch and skills that have earned him several amateur and professional titles.
Tony Bellew Biography
Tony Bellew was born Anthony Lewis Bellew on the 30th of November 1982 in Merseyside, England. As a child, Bellew had hoped to become a footballer so he could play for his beloved Everton Football Club. Due to weight issues and a considerable lack of talent, he was unable to make the cut. His next option was to go into boxing after he had picked interest in fighters like Mike Tyson and Nigel Benn who came from similarly poor backgrounds.
Bellew began taking boxing seriously in his late teens as he worked as a laborer, security guard, or lifeguard. He began his amateur boxing career at around the turn of the millennium, notably winning the 2002 and 2003 Amateur Boxing Association titles. He went on to fight close to 50 bouts before he decided to turn professional in 2007, recording three knockouts that year to introduce himself to the boxing world.
Tony Bellew won his first title in 2010, beating Ghanian Atoli Moore to win the vacant Commonwealth light-heavyweight title. In July 2011, Bellew, who had built a 15-0 record, beat fellow Brit Ovil McKenzie to add the British light-heavyweight title to his collection. His first defeat came in his next fight against Nathan Cleverly which was for the WBO light-heavyweight title.
In his so far 11-year long boxing career, Tony Bellew has won titles in three different weight divisions, with a record of 30 wins (20 KO), 2 losses, and 1 draw.
Tony Bellew Net Worth
Tony Bellew has come a long way from the time he reportedly earned about £100 from different sparring gigs. The multiple weight class boxer has been able to make bank with a net worth estimated to be around £9.6 million ($13 million).
Bellew got his first huge payday from his first fight with David Haye where he was said to have taken home a minimum of £2.8 million from the fight. He was also said to have taken home a slightly higher amount from his second fight with the former British heavyweight champion.
Tony Bellew’s Family – Wife
Tony Bellew has been lucky enough to have the company of the mother of his three children for over 20 years. The Creed (2015) actor is married to his childhood sweetheart, Rachael Roberts, who he has reportedly known since he was about nine and has been together with her since he was a teenager. Bellew has since 2014 referred to Rachel as his wife but was however only able to tie the knot with her in July 2017.
Rachel, who Bellew has publicly said is the only person he is afraid of, crediting her for being the reason he is grounded, has in the past been spotted supporting her man ringside in many of his fights. She famously got into a ringside row with David Haye, while Bellew was fighting BJ Flores in October 2016. Following Bellew’s knockout win in the match, he challenged Haye to a fight which led to the two fights between the two boxers.
Parents
One thing you are sure to see in the build-up to a boxing match is trash talking. Sometimes, they are engineered for publicity while on other occasions, they are a genuine display of hatred by opponents. During these times, no topic is too sacred to not be addressed, unless it enters the murky waters of race and ethnicity as it did in the build-up to the Haye-Bellew fight. Haye accused Bellew of being a racist to which Bellew responded by saying his own mother, who is reportedly black, or according to some other sources, mixed race is blacker than Haye will ever be. Aside from this incident, there are no records pointing to the identity or names of Bellew’s parents.
Height And Weight
The 6 feet 3 inches (191 cm) tall Tony Bellew has fought in three weight classes. First, it was the light-heavyweight class which requires fighters to weigh between 165 pounds (75 kg) and 178 pounds (81 kg). The second weight class he fought in was cruiserweight which limits the weight of fighters to 200 pounds (90.7 kg). Most recently, he has fought in the heavyweight class where fighters weigh over 200 pounds (90 kg) with his actual weight at weigh-in being 210 pounds (97 kg).
