Tony Bellew vs. BJ Flores: Fight Time, Date, Live-Stream and TV Info

Tony Bellew makes the first defence of his WBC cruiserweight title on Saturday, with the local favourite going up against BJ Flores in Liverpool, England.

Bellew (27-2-1, 17 KOs) finally became a world champion on May 29, knocking out Ilunga Makabu at the home of his beloved Everton Football Club, Goodison Park.

This time he's returning indoors to fight at Liverpool's Echo Arena, a venue where he claimed the British and Commonwealth belts when campaigning at light heavyweight earlier in his career.

Flores (32-2-1, 20 KOs) arrives from the United States with a similar record to his foe. Although he failed in his attempt to become the WBA's interim champion last year, losing to Beibut Shumenov on points, El Peligroso has never been stopped in his career.

BoxStat provided a breakdown of the two fighters on Twitter:

Also on the card, lightweight Luke Campbell puts his WBC Silver title—not to mention his reputation—on the line against Derry Mathews, who has the benefit of fighting in his own back yard.

Fellow Liverpudlians Sean Dodd and Rocky Fielding are also in action, while Ryan Farrag will hope home advantage can help him wrest the British bantamweight strap away from Ryan Burnett.

When: Saturday, October 15, 10 p.m. BST (5 p.m. ET)

Where: Echo Arena, Liverpool, England

TV: Sky Sports (UK)

Live Stream: Sky Go (UK)

Back in Action

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Having conquered his personal Everest by winning a world title at the third attempt, Bellew now has to pick himself back up and go again.

It is hard to see how Bomber Bellew will ever top that night in May. The raw emotion in the immediate aftermath showed just what the whole occasion meant to him, particularly at a venue so close to his heart. The man who appeared in the movie Creed managed to script his perfect ending.

Except it's not the end for Bellew. So, what can he now produce for an encore?

Well, on the face of it, fighting Flores at the Echo Arena doesn't have the same appeal as his last storyline.

Still, Bellew cannot afford to slip up. He had enough attempts at climbing the mountain, so it is unlikely he would consider starting from base camp again if he were to lose his belt this weekend.

However, Flores seems to have found a way to get under the Englishman's skin.

Per Chris McKenna of the Daily Star, Bellew said: "You (Flores) said you have not made a sound since the fight was made, but the only reason you got this fight was because you opened your mouth. You said I'm not a proper cruiserweight, well on Saturday night, you're going to see what I can and can't do."

Odd as it may seem for Bellew to complain about another fighter talking too much, the spark provided by Flores has helped focus his mind.

He needs to remain in the present, too, despite talk of a fight against David Haye continuing to linger.

Promoter Eddie Hearn told David Anderson of the Mirror how a cruiserweight showdown between the duo would make "millions and millions" for Haye, despite the fact the heavyweight hasn't campaigned down at the 200-pound limit since 2008.

Unification bouts with Denis Lebedev or Oleksandr Usyk could also be in the pipeline, but Bellew confirmed to Isaac Robinson and James Dielhenn of Sky Sports he wouldn't contemplate travelling to face the former.

For now, though, Bellew has to forget about future possibilities and focus only on Flores.

Taking Centre Stage

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Flores' Twitter bio includes his professional record—plus the words "NBC sports boxing analyst."

The 37-year-old's other major appearance in Britain came on television channel Dave earlier this year, as he covered his good friend Haye's comeback fight from ringside in January.

Now he takes centre stage in the main event, although a former foe, Danny Green, doesn't believe Flores' record warrants such an opportunity.

The Australian—who beat Flores on points in 2010—told Neil Devey of the Liverpool Echo: "He’s a survivor, who loves having this image of being a boxer. Who has he beaten to get this fight? It’s because he’s a TV commentator who is on social media. And in a way, good luck to him."

Green has a point; there are a lack of notable names among Flores' list of victims.

He did at least push Shumenov in July 2015, and the final scores of 116-112 from all three judges perhaps didn't do the loser's efforts justice.

But don't forget Shumenov lost to Bernard Hopkins the previous year. B-Hop, who was 49 at the time, even dropped his opponent in Round 11, albeit he eventually won by a split-decision verdict.

Still, Dave Coldwell—Bellew's trainer—is refusing to underestimate the challenger, as he told Matt Horan of Sky Sports: "One thing we must understand is that Flores is an underrated fighter, he has a very good jab and boxing brain, while he throws a powerful right and left hook. The history of boxing is littered with upsets and Flores has a chance to cause one himself, that's the beauty of sport."

Flores may not get another opportunity to win a major belt. He will likely need a career-best performance on the road to make the most of it.

Prediction

Per Odds Shark, Flores is a 6-1 shot for victory. Considering their respective records, the underdog's price looks a little high.

However, Bellew deserves to be the favourite on home turf. Crucially, he seems to have retained his focus on the job at hand, rather than get carried away by talk of fights in his future.

Bellew is always quick to predict spectacular finishes, but he's not foolish enough to become reckless in pursuit of a KO. Holding on to the title is what matters, not the manner of the outcome.

Flores' record suggests the bout could easily go the distance. However, his losses to Green and Shumenov suggest he may end up falling short on the scorecards.

Bleacher Report will provide live coverage of the main fights from Liverpool. Join our blog from 9 p.m. BST (4 p.m. ET) for updates on the action.