Tony Bellew has vowed to ‘break Oleksandr Usyk’s spirit’ when he enters the ring with the aim of becoming the undisputed cruiserweight champion of the world in his final appearance in boxing.
Bellew, 35, has maintained Saturday night’s world title fight at Manchester Arena will be the last of his career, and he’s looking to go out at the very top by achieving his lifelong dream.
He’ll be doing it the hard way against Usyk, the 31-year-old Ukrainian who boasts an undefeated record and earlier this year become the first boxer in history to hold all four major cruiserweight belts.
But Bellew insists there is no more fitting way to end his career and plans to hang up his gloves in a blaze of glory.
“It’s all over on Saturday night, it’s winner-take-all and I can’t wait,” Bellew said in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT host Jim White.
“Regardless of the outcome it’s all over, Saturday night is the final fight of my career.
“This is the last time I have to dance, this is the last time I have to put my neck on the line, this is the last time I risk everything and I’m a risking it all for the dream.
“It’s a dream that nobody even envisioned was possible, me included, never in a million years. Did I think I could become world champion? Yes, I’m not going to lie, and maybe even the best cruiserweight in the world and I think I have been that.
“But never in my wildest dreams did I think I was going to fight for the undisputed, unified cruiserweight championship of the world.
“I’m going to come back to the division and I’m going to take it on Saturday night.”
Bellew has the utmost respect for his opponent and, after two trash talk-filled fights against fierce rival David Haye, he is glad the build-up to this fight has been a quieter affair from both fighters.
But the Liverpudlian has insisted that respect will stop when they enter the ring, saying he will not ‘stand back and admire’ the Ukrainian and that he will find a way to ‘break his spirit’ on Saturday night.
He added: “This is nothing personal and I’m a great admirer of what Usyk is. He’s a brilliant fighter, a brilliant champion and this is the biggest test of my career.
“He’s won everything there is to win at amateur level, he’s won everything there is to win at professional level, but he’s going to lose on Saturday night. I’m going to break his spirit.
“He really does believe he’s genuinely going to walk through me, and he’s in for the fright of his life.
“I just hope he’s willing to go as deep as I am, because if he is you’re in for the fight of the year, it could be the fight of the decade, he’s that good.
“But at no point in this fight will this man rattle off a five-punch combination without getting one bazooka slung right back in his chops. It will not happen.
“I will fight until the finish and I will not stop until I achieve my dream. I do not believe he will go as far as I can.
“This man is amazing, but I will find a way, I will get to him.”
Listen back to talkSPORT’s interview with Tony Bellew IN FULL above!
