By Jake Donovan

Tony Bellew has pined for a cruiserweight title shot from the moment he moved up in weight. The former light heavyweight contender racked up his fifth consecutive win following a 5th round knockout of Arturs Kulikauskis in preliminary action Saturday evening in Leeds, England.

Among his current win streak includes a revenge-fueled decision win over Nathan Cleverly last November. The split decision nod avenged his first career defeat, when Bellew fell just short of bumping off a then-unbeaten Cleverly in their Oct. ’11 light heavyweight title fight.

A second bid at championship glory resulted in his last defeat to date, when he was forced to quit after six rounds of action versus World light heavyweight king Adonis Stevenson in Nov. ’13.

The win over Kulikauskis—which aired live on Sky Sports—was little more than means to remain active, as Bellew was placed on the show barely a week ago after unbeaten light heavyweight contender Callum Johnson fell ill and was forced to withdraw. Saturday’s fight aside, Bellew and his team believe there exists enough evidence to take his

second career to the next level.

“I really like his chances to win a title at cruiserweight,” noted Carl Froch, the recently retired former two-time super middleweight champion who served on the Sky Sports broadcast team. “At light heavyweight, he was cutting too much weight too close to the fight and never really gave himself a fair chance. He is at his natural weight at cruiserweight and I really fancy his chances.”

That opportunity may come as soon as Bellew’s next real fight. The 32-year old will get to see his work on the big screen, playing a supporting role in the upcoming film “Creed,” the latest installment from the famed Rocky series.

His next paycheck in the ring will likely be for the World cruiserweight championship if promoter Eddie Hearn gets his way.

“The IBF has a championship contest coming up between Yoan Pablo Hernandez and Victor Ramirez. We got the winner,” Hearn insisted during the post-fight interview.

“Callum Johnson pulled out of the show 7-8 days ago, and Tony stepped in. He looked fantastic tonight and I’m glad he stepped in on a week’s notice.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com

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