Bellew to face Bolonti on Froch-Mack bill

British light heavyweight contender Tony Bellew will defend his WBC ‘silver’ title against Argentine Roberto Bolonti on Nov. 17 at the Capital FM Arena, Nottingham, England.

Bellew-Bolonti will be the main support act to IBF super middleweight titleholder Carl Froch’s defense against Yusaf Mack.

Though Bolonti (30-1, 19 knockouts) has never fought outside his country, Liverpool’s rising star Bellew, THE RING’s No. 10-rated light heavyweight, is adamant the 33-year-old South American is a credible opponent.

“Robert Bolonti is a good fighter, who is ranked above me by the WBC. He has great record with only one loss in 30 fights. And I’m told he later avenged that too,” said Bellew, who impressed last month when stopping veteran Edison Miranda in the ninth round.

“I’ve seen clips on YouTube and he’s dangerous. He can punch with either hand and is very durable. I’m looking forward to a good fight and implementing a different game plan and different tactics from those used in the Miranda fight.

“It’s a step the right way. I’m told it’s an eliminator for the WBC title. I’ve always said I just want to fight people ranked higher than me and this guy ticks all the boxes.”

The same applies to being part of countryman Froch’s latest domestic sell-out show and getting back into the ring so soon. Let’s just say, Bellew (18-1, 12 KOs) intends to stay as busy as possible while climbing the elite 175-pound ladder.

“Activity in boxing is the most important thing,” the 29-year-old contender said on Sky Sports News. “An active fighter is a good fighter. When Eddie Hearn asked when I wanted to fight next, I told him as soon as physically possible. You only get paid in this sport when you fight.

“That’s why I fight as often as possible. But it’s no use doing it in front of 900 people, you need to be in big arenas with big crowds. I couldn’t ask for more than a 10,000 sell out on Carl Froch’s bill. You can’t get better exposure than that.”