"Will not stop until I get a single figure handicap" - World Champion Boxer Tony Bellew ready to make it big in golf   

Tony Bellew, a former professional boxer, might be known as a world-class boxer while he's inside the ring, but outside it, he is chasing a very different sport. Bellew is the European, Commonwealth, and WBC cruiserweight Champion of the World when it comes to boxing. Now, he has another goal in mind: To get a single-figure handicap in golf.

Growing up in a rather tough neighborhood, Tony Bellew was not introduced to golf at an early age. As he made his way up in the boxing world, he slowly took a keen interest in golf as well and is now determined to go big in the world of golf too.

“I will not stop until I get a single figure handicap. I’m fully invested now, there’s no going back."

In a conversation with Golf Monthly, Bellew's unwavering determination from his boxing career has seamlessly transferred to his desire to improve his golf skills. With a set of TaylorMade Stealth Irons, he frequently visits the Southport and Ainsdale golf club to dedicate time to practice and refine his game.

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Tony Bellew's mental challenge with golf 'right up there with boxing'

However, newcomers to any sport often face jitters, and it has been the same for Tony Bellew. Speaking about the time he fought Ilunga Makabu at Goodison Park in 2016, he recalled a different type of feeling.

“Fighting’s never made me nervous. I’m not one of those fighters who gets really nervous and suffers with it. I loved it, it excited me. But coming to Goodison was a different ball game altogether – turning up here, thousands and thousands of people, the streets were full."

The retired fighter moved on to golf and is totally in love with the game. It often relates to a mental battle that he fights, considering that the sport is so different from boxing. Needless to say, he gives it his all in his newfound passion.

“Golf is probably the biggest mental battle I’ve come across, it’s right up there with boxing. I’ve got the bag, I’ve got the best gear going, I’ve got the trolley. There’s a chance that if I never got that trolley I could have thrown my clubs in the lake. The trolley can’t go – that cost an absolute fortune.”

Tony Bellew has seen and experienced the influence golf can have on one's life. He wishes to introduce golf to some of the 'tougher' parts of the country, to show that one doesn't need to be rich in order to play golf.