Everton dream for Tony Bellew as total ambition is securing Goodison Park fight

TONY BELLEW wants to fight for a world title at Goodison Park this summer after insisting his taste of Hollywood will not make him "soft".

 

Tony Bellew has only lost two of his 29 professional fights in Boxing

 

Bellew is one of the stars in the new film Creed, a spin-off from the Rocky franchise, with Goodison the backdrop to the fight scenes.

Now Everton fan Bellew - who claimed the European title when out-pointing Mateusz Masternak last month - says his appetite has been whetted and he now wants to fulfil a boyhood ambition by sampling the real thing.

"Ultimately that is the dream," said Bellew. "I don't care about making movies, I don't care about fighting at Wembley, I'd take Goodison Park over Vegas any day of the week.

"It is just my dream. I was sitting where the letter F is in the Gwladys End, about the ninth or 10th seat in, I was sitting on the first seat above that white F. I remember us playing here, having my season ticket there and I was getting thrown down those rows to get on the pitch after we beat Wimbledon.

"I've been on the pitch at Everton I forget how many times but I've been on twice as just a fan. Once against Wimbledon, once against Coventry. I tell you now I'm a blue, I'm an Everton fan through and through. The biggest dream of my life would be to fight there.

 

"It wouldn't matter what type of fight. I want to win a world title but if I could just stick a ring in the middle of that pitch it would just be a dream come true.

"The words from Antonio Tarver [who starred in Rocky 6] was that Hollywood made him soft - it just made me tougher and harder. I showed that in my last fight. I'm still me, the same daft Scouser who is capable of anything at any time. Someone who is basically unpredictable.

"People think that now I've made this movie that it was going to soften me up, dampen my appetite in some kind of way but it was never going to do that."

Bellew initially thought he was the victim of a hoax organised by Everton duo Ross Barkley and Leon Osman when movie director Ryan Coogler approached him.

 

Yet Coogler wanted a boxer who attracted a football following and Bellew started filming after first dispatching Nathan Cleverley in a Cruiserweight contest in November 2014.

Now he will hold talks with promoter Eddie Hearn about fixing a world title shot at his beloved Goodison.

“There is talk of Lebedev (WBA champion), there is talk of Glowacki (WBO champion),” said Bellew. “We offered Ramirez (IBF champion) a fight but he wouldn’t take it. It was his career highest pay day. 

“I should have fought for the world title last time. The Masternak fight was made because Ramirez said no after he drew with Ovill McKenzie. He must have looked at how I dealt with McKenzie twice.

 

“David Haye told me before the fight ‘if we are going to fight why would you fight this Masternak guy?’ It was a crazy fight to take. 

“He is a big solid fighter who has only lost once. I thought I could beat him and show the world how good a cruiserweight I am and I believe I have done that. 

“To take such a tough fight before the movie came out people said I was crazy to do it and maybe I was, but I believe in myself so much. 

“I believe I can go out into the middle of that pitch and win a world title, without a shadow of a doubt.”