Tony Bellew admits almost coming to blows with Ant Middleton helped him control his rage

Tony Bellew has admitted that squaring up to special forces soldier Ant Middleton was a turning point in dealing with his rage issues.

The Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins star, 37, revealed he was ready to fight show’s host before taking a deep breath and walking away.

Tony was told by Any that he needs to make some drastic change in his life or he could ‘end up killing someone’, if he doesn’t curb his anger.

Discussing the clash, Tony told the Mirror: ‘That was a clash of two lions. I was ready to just go for it. I really was.’

Tony admitted that he isn’t afraid of confrontation and understood that Ant and the team were aware of what he was capable of.  

However, he added: ‘Thankfully, I took a breath and walked away.’

Tony revealed that Ant told him he needed to get his anger under control for the sake of others, he revealed: ‘Once he said to me, ‘You’re a ticking time bomb’. I was hellbent on showing him that I’m not.’ 

He went on to say that he was guarded when he joined the show, but he revealed they managed to help him show more of himself and he has begun looking ‘at things differently’. 

Last month, Tony expressed concern that his anger issues may result in him doing ‘some horrible things’ and admitted that being sent to jail would be his ‘biggest fear’.

The former world cruiserweight champion has opened up on his inner demons, and outlined the occasions in his life where he has been close to breaking point.

Tony, who retired from boxing in 2018, has struggled to cope with his personal issues since stepping away from the ring.

He told the Daily Star: ‘I feel like I can be a horrible c*** sometimes. I just feel like I could do some horrible things.

‘I don’t know if it’s like road rage or something, I feel like I could explode at any moment.

‘I can’t explain it without sounding like a f***ing maniac.

‘My whole life I’ve thought I was going to end up in jail. I’ve come very close. I’ve had incidents where I’ve been very close to going there.

‘I was never scared of jail. But once I had children, going to jail became my ­biggest fear.

‘In the past I’ve done some things I’m not very proud of. Really bad, sh** things.

‘I’ve seen my dad in jail. I have visited him there. It was heartbreaking. I ain’t putting my kids through that. I never want to put them in that position.’

Tony enjoyed a successful career in the sport for 11 years, having also twice beaten David Haye in heavyweight clashes in 2017 and 2018. 

But after his retirement two years ago, which came following a knockout defeat against Oleksandr Usyk, he has struggled to adapt back to normal life. 

He added: ‘In boxing you have a sell-by date. In your 30s you start coming to an end. Since I retired, I’ve lost focus.

‘I’ve done ­everything I set out to do in life. So I need ­something new and I’m trying to find it, but I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I’m 37 and I’ve got no job. It can be tough sometimes.

‘I miss having a fight. I miss punching people in the face, if I’m totally honest. And I miss the buzz of walking into the ring.

‘I’ve got an aggressive side, there’s no two ways about it. That’s how I’ve been able to do what I’ve done in my life’But when you’ve been punched in the head for 20 years, it means there’s a lot of mumbo ­jumbo inside your head.’