Tony Bellew just wasn't able to get the job done last night in Quebec, as he fell to Adonis Stevenson via sixth round TKO in his bid for the WBC light heavyweight title. The fight made Bellew 0-2 in world title bouts for his career, accounting for both of the losses on his 20-2-1 (12 KO) record.
Early this morning U.S. time, Bellew took to his Twitter account to offer an apology to his supporters for coming up short:
I'd like to apologise to everyone for not doing what I said I would do! I gave it everything and the better man won and that's it. Gutted..
— Tony Bellew (@TonyBellew) December 1, 2013
The fans who travelled, ill be forever in your debt I'm truly shocked.. Like I said the better man won, no excuses. Thanks again for support
— Tony Bellew (@TonyBellew) December 1, 2013
Look, this is not really my forte. I know I'm not always the most positive boxing commentator/media dude/blogger/person/fan/whatever. But I think I can speak for many when I say that Tony Bellew has nothing to be ashamed of with that performance. No doubt it's a massive disappointment for him, because it's clear he didn't come to that fight to collect a paycheck, lose, and set up some easy "redemption" fights next year. Bellew came to win, had a game plan, and he stood up to some big shots from a hard puncher.
Bellew is a tough pro, a solid fighter, and if nothing else, this proves that even long into the era of watered-down "champions," it's still pretty damn hard to win a world title. Even if we say they're meaningless as fans, or perceive them to be so hard to follow or care about that they've lost their significance to anyone who doesn't pay super close attention, the titles do mean a lot to the fighters. And you don't win one if you can't fight. And a lot of guys who can still won't win one.