If Ovill McKenzie's plan is to wind Tony Bellew up then he's carrying it out with pin-point accuracy.
The charasmatic Derby-based Jamaican goes to battle with Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion Bellew, on a Frank Warren show at Liverpool's Echo Arena on July 16, for a second time and has promised not to let the self-styled 'Bomber' off the hook this time around.
The crowd-pleasing pair met at the same Merseyside venue in December, also on a Warren-promoted card, in an up-and-down battle (pictured above) that saw iron-fisted Bellew, 15-0 (10), having to scrape himself off the canvas in each of the opening two rounds. But though he looked seconds away from his first paid defeat less than six minutes in, the Scouser gradually came firing back and eventually found the punches to turn the tables an end matters in the seventh.
Iron-chinned former cruiserweight Prizefighter champion McKenzie, 18-10 (7), protested vehemently - claiming, somewhat justifiably, that the 28-year-old was in a worse state and allowed to continue - and gets the chance to put things right in ten days. This time, though, there will be two more added incentives: the vacant British 12st 7lbs belt and a possible date with a world champion.
WBO monarch Nathan Cleverley has sparred with Ovill in the lead-up to this scheduled 12-rounder and the Welshman's war of words with Bellew has put them on a collision course, possibly in December. But McKenzie could gate-crash their party and has been vocal in his drug-taking theories on a former ABA champion whose explosive power and cavalier attitude has won him a legion of fans.
The Mike and Jason Shinfield-handled East Midlander is adamant that his opponent took a banned substance in December and said: "I thought [after our last fight] he was on drugs and i stand by that comment. For me, it's a fair accusation. He looked like he was on drugs.
"But he won't make it through nine minutes this time around," boasted the 31-year-old ex-Commonwealth king during a conference call earlier today. "When i drop him this time, i can assure you he won't be getting back up."
A fired-up Bellew, always good for a quote, coldly added: "I'm looking forward to ramming those accusations back down your throat. I'm going to batter you from pillar to post and i'll knock you out again."
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