Tony Bellew called out for fight after wading into row after Anthony Joshua bout
Jermaine Franklin's coach has called out Tony Bellew for a charity exhibition bout after the pair's altercation at The O2 arena in London last weekend.
American Lorenzo Reynolds was confronted by Bellew after his fighter was defeated by Anthony Joshua in their heavyweight showdown when the two competitors had a scuffle following the final bell. Former cruiserweight champion Bellew was annoyed by Reynolds getting involved in the confrontation and ran in to defend his pal, causing a further scene outside the ring.
And now Reynolds has claimed he would be interested in throwing the gloves on at the age of 55 and taking on retired 40-year-old Bellew in an exhibition bout. The pair are both former fighters, although the American never quite reached his rival's heights of world titles after going 15-0 as a professional.
But he is confident of a win if they fought, telling Express Sport: “I read an article with [Bellew] saying he would’ve chinned me, and I just think it would be the opposite honestly. I’m in great shape. I’m in the shape of my life and he’s pretty much looking like, a 55-year-old soccer dad with a suit on.
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"So, if Bellew has a problem we can do an exhibition and donate 50 per cent of the purse to kids who are fighting cancer, like James [Lewis, a child who made the ring walk with Franklin]... If Tony Belly, and make sure you say, I call him Tony Belly. If he knows where the gym is at, and he’s willing to sign for this exhibition then let’s do it…
“We have a disagreement and like, gentlemen, let’s handle it the right way in the boxing ring. We can do it that way because evidently, there’s some smoke that needs to be cleared.”
Who do you think would win in an exhibition bout between Bellew and Reynolds? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Bellew has claimed that he was angered by Reynolds getting involved in what should have been a moment between Joshua and Franklin after the fight. He told IFL TV that he wanted to get back at the coach for pushing the two-time heavyweight champion, with whom he is close friends.
"You can't have a trainer going for a boxer," Bellew said shortly after the incident. "So I said 'hey lad what are you playing at?' And he's said something and I've said 'f*** it, let's do it then. I'll f***ing meet you with a right hand... His mate apologised to me and I said 'you can't'.
"I didn't want the trouble with him but I just said 'what are you doing?' And he went 'what are you going to do?' I said 'what the f*** are you going to do' so I've stepped down like 'let's go'. I stepped aside so I thought he was going to step to me and a right hand was going to meet him.
"But he didn't get close enough so what do you want me to do? I was just trying to tell the man that you can't approach a fighter, so you can't do that. It's down to the fighters and if Jermaine and [Anthony] are having a little tussle..."
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