Former WBC cruiserweight world champion Tony Bellew has pinpointed what he believes to be the ‘greatest night’ of his impressive 34-fight career; over the course of which he faced the likes of Adonis Stevenson, David Haye and Oleksandr Usyk.
Bellew kickstarted his professional career as a light-heavyweight, capturing the British and Commonwealth titles in the 175lb division but losing out to both Nathan Cleverly and Adonis Stevenson when challenging for world honours.
Defeat to the Canadian prompted a move up to cruiserweight, where the proud Evertonian went on to trump Mateusz Masternak for the EBU European strap, before halting Ilunga Makabu inside three rounds to capture the WBC world title at Goodison Park.
Two victories over the legendary David Haye would soon follow, but a third career defeat, at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk, proved to be ‘The Bomber’s final outing as professional, as the iconic Ukrainian stopped Bellew whilst behind on the cards in round eight of their 2018 showdown.
Speaking on X, Bellew celebrated the 10-year anniversary of his world title win over Makabu, labelling it as his ‘greatest ever night’.
My greatest ever night!! I can’t believe it’s been 10 years! 💛💚💛 #WBC pic.twitter.com/uHQdeeLuyu
— Tony Bellew (@TonyBellew) May 31, 2026
“My greatest ever night!! I can’t believe it’s been 10 years! #WBC.”
A host of Liverpudlian talent boxed on the Bellew-Makabu undercard that night, with Callum, Paul and Stephen Smith appearing alongside David Price, James Metcalf, Tom Farrell, Gerald Carroll and Craig Glover in a tremendous showcase of Liverpool’s talent pool.
Makabu went on to claim the WBC world title himself, outpointing Michal Cieslak for the belt in 2020 and then making two title defences before losing it to Badou Jack in 2023.
