Tony Bellew says former boxer Ilunga Makabu will have to start quickly if he is to beat the heavyweight king Canelo Alvarez.
WBC officially approved Alvarez’s request to jump to cruiser class to take on WBC king Makabu during their recent WBC Conference in Mexico.
Bellew, who previously held Makabu’s WBC title after stopping the Congolese-born three times in 2016, said his former opponent couldn’t stand a couple of slow opening rounds against Alvarez.
“Makabu likes to have a look and that’s why I tried to jump on him in our fight,” Bellew told DAZN. “He was very comfortable in the early rounds because he wanted to have a good look at what was in front of him and then to work on the later rounds.
“I wouldn’t give him that chance and that’s why I started as fast as I did. Makabu is highly protective and dangerous left-handed and he has to deliver that from the first bell. Canelo is coming off heavy so he may lose some of what makes him special but Makabu will still be the bigger man and he has to.
“His size can be a huge asset but he has to use it right from the start or else he’ll play catch up to the best boxer in the sport.”
