Monday 20 February 2017 11:58, UK
Is Tony Bellew the most exciting British world champion? Five talking points from Liverpool after the WBC cruiserweight champion retained his title and then targeted David Haye.
Emotion over brains…
Bellew is right to have confidence in his fists - Flores had never been stopped in 35 fights, and before him Ilunga Makabu hadn't been finished in eight years. There's nothing to be ashamed of in eschewing the noble art in favour of a good, old-fashioned ruck but Bellew must know he is playing with fire.
After Flores had been down once, Bellew went for broke. He swung wildly, walking through his opponent's equally reckless shots, and it worked. Flores got up again and a wild brawl was sparked before Bellew finished the fight with a huge left hook -he could have taken a step back, not risked his own consciousness, and found the knockout in a calmer fashion.
But raw emotion is what makes Bellew dangerous. His willingness to turn every bout into a scrap inside a phone-booth has got him this far - indeed, he ruthlessly pounced on Flores moments after the American had unsuccessfully complained about a low blow. That mean streak that cannot be taught caused the beginning of the end.
Are you not entertained?
Would any boxing coach tell their student to box like Bellew did against Flores? A penny for the thoughts of Dave Coldwell, Bellew's coach, whose heart must have been in his mouth when the Liverpudlian began slugging away.
Bellew has arguably become Britain's most exciting world champion - he is risking his championship and his consciousness, but that's part of the thrill-seeking involved with watching him box. You get the sense that he knows it, too.
The adrenaline is constantly red-lining, and every sensible decision seems to be flung out of a top-storey window when Bellew smells blood. It is perhaps unwise, a purist might say, but it's an exhilarating watch.
And if that's a boxer's reputation, what's wrong with that? Few current sportspeople can force an entire arena's worth of people off their feet, jaws on the floor, like Bellew and that's a position on the sporting landscape worth being proud of.
So can Bellew beat Haye?
We're still no closer to this fantasy match-up becoming reality but arguably the biggest talking point as people left the Echo Arena was about who might win. The only dead cert is that the judges could be given the night off.
The saying is that a good big-man beats a good little-man. Former world heavyweight champion Haye, logic suggests, would have a strength advantage coupled with the speed that has defined his career successes. He may have been inactive until this year, but the pop in those punches seems to still be there.
But Bellew, during his epic post-fight tirade, was quick to bring up two major issues. Firstly; his physical dimensions match up very similarly with Haye's (who is a former cruiserweight) despite their preference to box in different divisions. Secondly; Bellew reminded Haye of an age-old sparring session, in which he claims to have injured the Londoner and forced him to withdraw from an upcoming bout. Who do you believe? For now it's make-believe, but Bellew and Haye seem keen on answering this question for us.
Ouch - Campbell the banger!
Luke Campbell's talents have never been questioned but he has, perhaps unfairly, been stigmatised by certain perceived weaknesses: has his amateur background taught him to fight when he cannot box, and can he punch hard enough?
Derry Mathews, a gritty veteran who owns wins over Anthony Crolla, Tommy Coyle and Curtis Woodhouse, was not expected to lose to Campbell via early stoppage - he was too tough for that, most people thought. Wrong.
Campbell boasts a physique that suggests he should be able to hit - broad shoulders, long arms plus fast hands - but only against Mathews has he finally demonstrated it. He repeatedly targeted the body, perhaps knowing his rugged opponent had a chin worth respecting. To put Mathews down once was impressive and somewhat unexpected so early, but the second knock-down was sickening.
To target the identical spot on the body showed Campbell had a ruthlessness that was previously considered absent. The surgical precision of his left hand had Mathews doubled over for the duration of the referee's count, plus several minutes after. If future world-calibre opponents expected to crowd Campbell and walk through his shots, the 2012 Olympic champion's alliance with coach Jorge Rubio appears to have ironed out that flaw.
Bombs away…
Mairis Briedis, Bellew's mandatory challenger, was an unknown quantity until being given a slot on the Liverpool undercard - we discovered a big-punching but vulnerable threat to the WBC crown.
The unbeaten Latvian (21-0) was not gift-wrapped an opponent to look good against - Middlesbrough's Simon Vallily also boasted a perfect record but couldn't withstand the power of Briedis. With Bellew's trainer Dave Coldwell watching on from ringside, Briedis will have given him plenty to consider in his three-round performance.
His punch-power and willingness to throw shots from inside the pocket appeared to be his main strengths - Vallily's toughness only served to allow Briedis to further demonstrate his repertoire. A crushing right hook from Briedis was the main highlight and will have opened Coldwell's eyes to the dangers he posed.
But Coldwell will have also noted Briedis' tendency to leave himself open to counter-punches when he launched forwards. The Latvian didn't appear fast enough in retreating back out of distance, so a future fight against Bellew could turn into a shoot-out.
