Tony Bellew has spoken of his dream of becoming a two-weight world champion after teasing a potential comeback.
The former WBC cruiserweight world champion retired from the sport following his defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in 2018, but is now seemingly eyeing a return at age 40.
Having publicly called out Lukasz Rozanski on Thursday, with the prospect of a fight at bridgerweight (224lbs weight limit) - a middle-point between cruiserweight and heavyweight - a possibility.
Poland's Poland's Rozanski is the current WBC bridgerweight champion and according to Bellew, he fancies his chances of beating him to become a two-weight world champion.
Speaking on talkSPORT Drive, Bellew said: “I’ll tell you what lads, you’re getting way ahead of yourself with those kinds of statements. Come on, that’s not what I said.
“’Tony Bellew is coming out of retirement and he’s called out someone’ – I didn’t say that, I just said I’m bored and asked if he fancied going past four rounds. That’s not an official statement, you’re putting words in my mouth. I’d hate to be on a charge with you!”
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He explained: “It’s not a spat, it’s someone I think I could beat. I’m not going to lie, I’m 40 years of age and I don’t know. Getting ready for Creed 3 last year I got in really good shape and ended up seeing a set of abs that I hadn’t seen in the best part of a decade and I thought ‘why not’.
“To be totally honest, I couldn’t make cruiserweight again safely and I’m straight up to the point, but I could make bridgerweight nice and comfortable and if I’m being honest, I think I’d absolutely pulverise him.
“I don’t know, we’ll have to wait and see. I’d have to go back to the gym for a little bit and spend some time there.
“Have I still got it? I don’t know. I’m not completely out of shape, I’ve always stayed in some type and I don’t know.
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“I don’t listen to dreamers. I’m just a kid from Liverpool and the thought of becoming a two-weight world champion and probably the oldest UK champion that I can remember would be a feat that would be great.”
Bellew added: “Getting in shape for the movie and doing things with a kid called Lucas Shredfast, that was a big thing. It was a super intense training camp that I did with him over the space of 12 weeks and it absolutely killed me, but it let me know what my body is still capable of.
“After that you think ‘can I take the impact and the pounding of the punches’, that’s the only question I’ve really got left to answer. I know my body can get through a camp and I know I can do it.
“I lost to arguably the greatest cruiserweight ever and that was the last time I got into the ring. Could I beat him? Absolutely not, no.
“What would I be coming back for? I just identified that, it’s to be a world champion. There’s nothing else worth coming back for.
“I’m not chasing a pound, like many other people who come back. Fame? Not really. I have to work because by not working I just lose hope and I end up like a blob, to be honest. I’m only going one more shape and that’s from round to an egg-shape and I just don’t want to get there!”
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