Cruiserweight contender Tony Bellew (25-2, 16 KO’s) will meet the robust Polish fighter Mateusz Masternak (36-3, 26 KO’s) on December 12 as part of a massive evening of boxing at the O2 Arena in London.
Bellew is coming off a fifth-round TKO victory of Latvian fighter Arturs Kulikauskis in September as he attempts to make his case for a world title shot.
The bout is part of Matchroom Sport’s ‘Bad Intentions’ show headlined by the Anthony Joshua-Dillian Whyte grudge match as well as a WBA World middleweight title final eliminator between Chris Eubank Jr. and Gary O’Sullivan.
Lightweights Kevin Mitchell and Luke Campbell are expected to fight, although that has not been made official. It would Mitchell’s first fight since suffering gruesome facial injuries in a 10th round TKO loss to WBC World lightweight champion Jorge Linares in May.
However, facing an Olympic gold medalist in Campbell as a first fight after a six-month layoff could be a tall task.
Masternak has lost three of his last nine fights, including an 11th round TKO to current WBC World cruiserweight champion Grigory Drozd in 2013.
Although he has managed to find victory once again, it did not come without the return of defeat, losing two close split decisions to Youri Kalenga and Johnny Muller.
A second-round TKO of Carlos Nascimento won him the vacant WBA Inter-Continental cruiserweight title back in September, and Bellew will serve as his fourth opponent of the year and his 10th since the Drozd bout.
Following an unsuccessful stint to dethrone WBC champion Adonis Stevenson at 175 pounds, Bellew has been a cruiserweight ever since.
Five fights, four stoppages, and a split decision victory over former light-heavyweight rival Nathan Cleverly, Bellew looks to continue the momentum.
– Ryan O’Hara @OHaraSports
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