Tony Bellew has weighed in with his prediction for the hotly anticipated British heavyweight title clash between Fabio Wardley and David Adeleye.
Defending champion Wardley will put his belt on the line against Adeleye in the chief support of the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou card this Saturday night in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
And in a recent feature on DAZN, former cruiserweight world champion Bellew explained why he was backing the Ipswich man to keep hold of the Lord Lonsdale belt.
“Wardley is a lad I’ve seen pretty much since day one. He had some good exposure due to his relationship with Dillian Whyte, but he still had to go in the ring and prove he could fight.”
“He’s shown he’s very capable and his victory over Nathan Gorman was quite emphatic as many thought that fight would be close.”
“Adeleye is another fighter who’s impressed on the way up. His run has been at a lower level, but he’s still had to get in there and do the job to pave the way for fights like this one.”
“When you’re a big puncher like Adeleye, there’s pressure to go in there and deliver and you can’t say he hasn’t done that as he’s had it all his own way except for the night he was pushed all the way by Kamil Sokolowski.”
“For my prediction, I’m going to say Wardley edges it on the cards or perhaps even gets a late stoppage. You’ve got to say that Wardley’s record looks better, and he’s fought more experienced opponents. This is as close as it gets but I’m going to go with Wardley in a classic fight that both men will get plenty of respect afterwards.”
Excitement for the fight was amplified after the pair came to blows at a press conference last month, which resulted in Wardley sustaining a cut that many felt could put the fight in jeopardy.
However, the injury proved to a minor one and fans can expect a domestic heavyweight thriller this weekend.