Tony Bellew is expected to face Ghana’s Atoli Moore for the vacant Commonwealth light-heavyweight crown on 12 March. The Merseyside derby between British super-middleweight champion Paul Smith and Tony Dodson will headline this bill at the Liverpool Echo Arena.
Former amateur standout Bellew, 12-0 (8), has been struggling to entice his domestic rivals into sharing a ring with him. The Liverpool puncher was linked with former Commonwealth champion and Prizefighter cruiserweight winner Ovill McKenzie but McKenzie’s team rejected Bellew’s advances in preference for pursuing a British title shot.
Ghanaian Moore is something of an unknown quantity, as has become the norm with African fighters visiting Britain. The 27-year-old’s official record, recently confirmed by the Ghana Boxing Authority, is 10-0 with six stoppages (BoxRec's log is 4-0).
Moore is currently the Ghanaian light-heavyweight champion and also competed in the 2006 Commonwealth Games but was beaten in the second round by Adura Olalehin (TKO2). Nigerian Olalehin was eventually beaten in the light-heavyweight final by Scotland’s Kenny Anderson. Ominously, at 5’6 Moore will give over eight inches in height away to Bellew.
Submitted by
Ben Carey on 19 February, 2010 - 08:53
