On May 29, 2016 Tony Bellew won the vacant WBC world cruiserweight title with a third-round knockout of Ilunga Makabu at Goodison Park.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look back at that fight.
‘My worst nightmare’
Picking himself up
Fears about Makabu were well-placed as his power caught Bellew cold in the first round and sent him to the canvas, even though he had dominated. A long night looked on the cards, but Bellew recovered and delivered a barrage of left hooks in the third round that floored Makabu, with the referee intervening. It was a glorious moment for Bellew, who won a world title at the third attempt after previous bouts against Nathan Cleverly and Adonis Stevenson had ended in defeat.
What happened next?
Tony Bellew started with ‘that b*tch from Bermondsey’ and next him jumping out of a ring claiming “you’re dead”. Tonight, finally, I end the Haye-Bellew story with sweet #Revenge ?? Do not miss it, Live on Sky Box Office https://t.co/F2cvy3DL9t pic.twitter.com/bm0oKA3bsv
— David Haye (@mrdavidhaye) May 5, 2018
After a routine defence against BJ Flores, Bellew stepped up to heavyweight to settle his rivalry with David Haye. Bellew beat a heavily impaired Haye with an 11th-round knockout. The pair had a lucrative rematch, which Bellew again won with a convincing display. He returned to cruiserweight to take on undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk, but lost and subsequently retired.
