Big Daddy B: My Amateur Career and Early Days in Boxing

By Tony ‘Bomber’ Bellew

It all started when I was a youth. I was about 10-years-old and always getting into trouble, nothing serious just hitting kids in school and generally being cheeky to the teachers.  I started kickboxing with a friend of my dad's called Alfie Lewis.  Luckily, this guy was the best in the business, a British and world champion.  Alfie later went onto become a business partner with my old man. 

I raced through all my belt gradings and beat quite a few decent fighters at various tournaments before I got to brown and white belt (one away from black belt).  I was then told it'd take twelve months before I was eligible to take part in competing for my black belt.  I was quite annoyed and left kickboxing behind.  Anyway, after knocking my last two opponents out with punches to the head, for which I was disqualified, I thought it was time to switch codes and Alfie sent me onto boxing with his blessing. 

From the kickboxing, I went onto boxing and a guy called Terry Quinn, known in my circles as TQ; he was a taskmaster to say the least.  Terry expected nothing but the best and always demanded 100% from me in the gym.  I learned quickly and Terry said I had something. 

I always knew how to throw a left hook with serious power as my old man used to show me how to throw the shot when he was shadowboxing in the backyard.  My dad used to always stay in shape and loved boxing training as a way to keep fit.  While he never had the dedication or the time to pursue it - having to feed a fat kid like me wasn't easy - my dad did Ok in boxing. 

My dad had two amateur fights, winning one and losing one.  He had a volatile temper and went for the guy in second fight with a stool after getting his head jabbed off.  But, eh, that's my old man and I would like to think it's his toughness and determination that is inside me that helps to drive me on whether in the gym or playing a game on the PS3.  I’m a winner and hate nothing more than losing, it kills me it really does, and I would like to think I got that competitiveness from my old man.

Sorry, back to TQ, he was great and I will be eternally grateful to him for what he did for me.  He trained tons of fighters years ago, guys like the Willis brothers and the Lynches from Liverpool too. 

Terry was the head trainer at an old gym called the Kensington ABC!  It was a good gym.  TQ was nearly 80-years-old when he started training me.  I then had to find a club that would let me box.  I found one and a coach who I still regard as a great friend and a brilliant trainer in Mark Kinney. 

I must also praise another guy who helped TQ and Mark Kinney and that was Noel Quarless.  Noel is great guy who also saw something in me and put a fair bit of work into me.  Noel was a good heavyweight himself in his day fighting the likes of Lennox Lewis, Funso Banjo and beating the likes of Anders Eklund and John L. Gardner, not to mention boxing the head off former world champion John Tate in a points win and also working as a sparring partner for the great Michael Spinks and Larry Holmes.

Mick was the main man at Stockbridge ABC; he took the reigns for about two years and I had my first four fights under him, three knockout wins and a DQ for butting someone who spat at me!

After that brief setback, I had a break and thought, ‘Do I wanna carry on doing this and can I make any money at it?’  I had started working the door and was finding various other ways of making money.  I then walked into a place that changed my life forever, ROTUNDA ABC!  I met with the legendary trainer called Jimmy Albertina and from that day on I can fully say I took boxing seriously.

Jimmy changed my way of thinking and also the way I trained; he questioned if I wanted it which made me work all the harder for him.  Jimmy knew I wanted it but also knew how to push my buttons and get the best out of me.  He put me in some tough sparring with Commonwealth Games gold medallist Jason Douglas.  I actually thought I got the better of that one if I’m being honest.  I also sparred Jean Pascal too which was great, he was so fast but I didn't get outclassed or nothing - I was just a bit raw.

I had only four fights under my belt and was sparring top guys like that, Jimmy really did believe in me!  Under him, I stormed to two Novice ABA titles and stopped everyone bar one guy on the way to them.  It took eleven fights to win those two tournaments so I stopped ten opponents in all. 

Jimmy would never let me rest on my laurels.  In one final I knocked the kid clean out in six seconds!  Yes, six seconds.  I ran back to the corner and said, “Jimmy, how was that?”, and his reply was, “Fucking shite that, lad”.  Our Jimmy always was a joker; he never praised you to your face, only to others. 

Jimmy had told numerous people I was going to be one to watch out for in the future.  This was something that TQ, Mark Kinney and Jimmy had all predicted so when I won the ABA title you can imagine the relief I felt by proving them right.  After the two novice title wins I was hit by possibly the hardest thing I've ever had to deal with in my young life so far.

Jimmy Albertina passed away from a sudden heart attack!  I’ll never forget the day, May 6th 2003, when [current British super-middleweight champion] Paul Smith rang me to tell me the terrible news.  I broke down and was inconsolable for days.  I remember Paul and all the Smiths were down too.  At this time people like my dad, John Doolan and Mick McAllister were all there for me.  The latter two were coaches at Rotunda under Jimmy.  This hit the gym bad!  I mean really bad.  We had lost our leader!

I have Jimmy's name tattooed on my arm and I'll never ever forget him for as long as I live - a truly great man and one that should never ever be forgotten. 

We had a little time off in the gym due to Albo's passing and when I came back I found myself struggling to make 81kg and there were another two fighters in my gym also doing that weight as we were all going in the ABAs that year.  The ABAs were due to start in October.  Four weeks before the coaches and myself decided someone should move up to 91kg so I, loving my food, jumped at it.  People said I was crazy but I thought, ‘Hell, why not?’  So I gained 10kg in four weeks and that was that.

I went right through the championships beating everyone on points and proving that I was just as good a boxer as I was a puncher.  I beat Mick Carroll, Sam Sexton, Junior McDonald and in the final I beat the reigning champion Mick O'Connell, who was in the Navy.  It was a fantastic six weeks.  Six days after that I then went up to Scotland for the Four Nations and won Gold by knocking out Scotland’s champion and hero Steve Simmons.  Everything was going great!

After that I beat USA #2 Tim Skolnick live on the BBC and then came my first real loss when Commonwealth Games super heavyweight Champion David Dolan beat me on points in the box offs.  I thought it was a close contest but the England judges gave it to him.  I thought he won too, but like I said it was close.

From there I won another two ABA titles at heavyweight under the tutelage of Mick McAllister and John Doolan, Albo's two understudies.  I enjoyed my time at Rotunda and owe them everything, I really do.  From the thirty plus fights I had for them I only suffered one loss while proudly wearing the black and gold colours of Rotunda.  The Lambeth Road gymnasium and Albo forever remain close to my heart.

While Mick McAllister still holds the fort there and still manages to produce numerous champions it will always be tied with Jimmy's name and great legacy.  I went onto box for England in numerous countries and tournaments; I never lost a dual international and beat guys from the USA, Russia, Poland, Canada, Hungary and many more.

This is my amateur career, some real highs and that terrible low when Jimmy passed away.  I’m now 13-0 (9 KOs) as a professional.  I’m the Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion and I hope I am making Jimmy proud.  As long as I stay humble, work hard and give the sport my total commitment, I believe I can keep on winning.  Log in for the next column; I’ll give you the inside track on my professional career so far and tell you about my training routine.

Thanks for reading.