Ex-boxer Tony Bellew faced off against an assortment of dangerous foes during his ring career. However, while his next challenge won’t be coming at him wearing boxing gloves, it promises to be no less daunting an experience.
Bellew will be making an appearance on the new series of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here. He will be joined by Britney Spears’ sister, Jamie Lyn Spears, actor Nick Pickard, TV presenter Josie Gibson, First Dates star Fred Sirieix, former politician Nigel Farage and more.
The show takes away the comforts of home from its contestants and forces them to take part in trials that have been known to involve bugs, dung and highwire tasks. Prior to taking part in the show, celebrities nominate a charity that will benefit from donations with the money raised from text or telephone voting.
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We know that Bellew took the best punches that David “The Hayemaker” Haye had to offer. But can the ex-champ survive a Bushtucker Trial or a Dingo Dollar challenge in the jungle?
The Sporting News looks back at Bellew’s boxing career and what he’s been doing since his retirement in 2018.
Tony Bellew pro record
Bellew’s final professional record was 30-3-1 (20 KOs).
The Liverpool man was 20-2-1 as a light heavyweight, losing bouts to both Nathan Cleverly and Adonis Stevenson, and battling to a draw against Isaac Chilemba.
At cruiserweight, Bellew’s only defeat in nine fights was via eighth-round stoppage to then-undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk. “The Bomber” then had two fights at heavyweight, against David Haye, and won both by stoppage.
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Did Tony Bellew win a world title?
Bellew held the WBC cruiserweight championship from May 2016 until March 2017. That first world title victory for the vacant strap came at Goodison Park, home of his beloved Everton, against Ilunga Makabu.
He also held British and Commonwealth titles at light heavyweight and the European championship at cruiserweight.
Tony Bellew biggest fights
Nathan Cleverly
Bellew’s first world title bout came against white-hot rival and WBO light heavyweight champ Nathan Cleverly in October 2011.
Following an excellent battle, Cleverly retained his title on a split decision, although Bellew has never accepted that he lost this fight.
The pair met again three years later at cruiserweight and Bellew evened the score with a split decision triumph.
Adonis Stevenson
After reestablishing his superiority as British light heavyweight champion, Bellew posted a draw and win over underrated Malawian contender Isaac Chilemba.
The victory over Chilemba earned Bellew a shot at WBC and Ring Magazine champ Adonis Stevenson, who was widely regarded as one of the hardest pound-for-pound punchers in the sport.
The bout took place in November 2013 and Stevenson proved too much for Bellew. The champ dropped his opponent with a left hand in round six and closed out with a two-fisted burst that forced the referee to stop the contest.
Ilunga Makabu
On Sunday, May 29, 2016, at Goodison Park in Liverpool, Bellew won the vacant WBC cruiserweight title by getting off the floor to stop dangerous southpaw Ilunga Makabu.
After being decked by a sharp left hand in the opening round, Bellew came back blazing and knocked the Congolese fighter out cold with a brutal left hook to the jaw in round three.
Bellew detractors often attempt to minimise this victory because the title was vacant, but Makabu was rated within the top five cruiserweights in the world by Ring Magazine and would go on to win the WBC title three-and-a-half years later. Makabu also entered this bout as the bookmakers' favourite.
David Haye
Immediately after winning cruiserweight gold, Bellew threw down the gauntlet at London-based rival David Haye. “The Hayemaker”, who had already claimed world titles at cruiserweight and heavyweight, was initially dismissive of Bellew as an opponent.
However, money talks and this was a massive pay-per-view attraction in the U.K. The bout took place in March 2017 and although Haye was pulling ahead at the midway point, he wasn’t having the success that many had expected. Bellew avoided the worst of Haye’s bombs and was clearly looking to take the fight into the later rounds.
Suddenly, in round six, Haye’s Achilles tendon ruptured and his balance deserted him. Bellew pounced, decking the former champ in the sixth before posting a stoppage in round 11.
Bellew doubled up on this triumph by halting Haye in the fifth round of a direct rematch.
Oleksandr Usyk
Following the victories over Haye, Bellew only wanted fights that could motivate him. Step forward undisputed cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Again, this was a pay-per-view fight in the U.K. and a massive event for British boxing. By this point, Usyk was a firmly established pound-for-pound entrant who had won every legitimate cruiserweight belt on the road.
Bellew boxed better than many thought in the early rounds, but Usyk applied constant pressure throughout the contest. Entering the midway point, Bellew appeared to be fading and the champion was just getting started.
The end came in round eight when Usyk jolted Bellew with a sharp left hand before flooring the Englishman with the same shot a second later. The challenger’s trainer Dave Coldwell entered the ring with a white towel in hand.
This was the final fight of Bellew’s glittering career. He retired less than two weeks after this fight in November 2018.
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Tony Bellew post-boxing career, net worth
During his cruiserweight incursion, Bellew ventured to Hollywood for a starring role in Creed, the immensely popular spin-off of the Rocky franchise.
Bellew played “Pretty” Ricky Conlan, the main protagonist of the lead character, Adonis Creed. The movie was released in 2015 and Bellew reprised his role in Creed III (2023).
As it turns out, I’m a Celebrity won’t be Bellew’s first TV appearance. The ex-champ turned up on the Channel 4 TV show SAS: Who Dares Wins in 2020.
Bellew also provides boxing analysis for DAZN, having joined the streaming service as its primary pundit for Matchroom events in 2021.
The 40-year-old's career in and out of the ring has seen his net worth rise to £9.6 million ($12.1 million), according to The Net Worth Portal.
