Former Cruiserweight champion, Tony Bellew, was himself a solid finisher in the ring, but the DAZN pundit has now named who he thinks was the best when it comes to putting opponents away once an opening presents itself.
Liverpudlian, Bellew, managed to finish plenty of his own foes, including knocking out Ilunga Makabu to lift the WBC World Cruiserweight belt in front of home fans at Goodison Park back in 2016.
Most famously, however, he stopped David Haye twice in back-to-back fights at London’s O2 Arena in March 2017 and May 2019, first in the 11th, and then in the 5th.
Speaking to Up Front with Simon Jordan, ‘The Bomber’, who has always been a keen boxing historian, believes Haye is one of the best finishers Britain has ever produced, but named Nigel Benn as the best he’s seen.
“If David Haye drops you, you’re done. He is probably one of the best finishers this country has ever seen. He’s that prolific when he gets you hurt.
The only finisher I have seen better than David Haye, I would probably say is Nigel Benn. When he gets you hurt, he takes you out. That’s why I always knew if David was to drop me in one of the fights I’m done.”
Bellew hasn’t fought since a valiant knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk in a battle for all four World Cruiserweight belts back in 2018.
This week, however, the now 40-year-old has taken to social media to state his desire to become a two-weight champion, believing he could best current Bridgerweight title holder Lukasz Rozanski.
Matchroom CEO Frank Smith has confirmed that early discussions have indeed taken place for this unlikely ring return.