DeGale and Cleverly: Are they future champions or just gate keepers?
February 15th, 2010
By Scott Gilfoid: After watching James DeGale (6-0, 4 KO’s) and Nathan Cleverly (19-0, 9 KO’s) last weekend dispatch a couple of easy foes, I really don’t see either of them being good enough in the future to win a major title in any of the divisions. There’s something missing with both of them that I think will ultimately hamper their progress in capturing a title. Oh, I have no doubts that DeGale and Cleverly are good enough to win one of the obscure NABO whatchamacalit titles, but as far as a major title goes, I just don’t see it happening. DeGale beat some guy named Matthew Barr last Saturday night in a 2nd round TKO win.
Pavlik would probably decapitate DeGale with a big right hand after walking him down in a round or two. And Sturm would eat DeGale alive with straight jabs down the middleweight and hard rights to the head. DeGale looks too wild, clumsy and all over the place. He needs to learn how to fight and become more compacted. What I saw of DeGale on Saturday seemed to me to be a poor man’s version of Naseem Hamed.
But in the case of Hamed, he had world class power with either hand. I saw mostly slapping shots from DeGale and punches that looked more like cuffing blows than knockout shots. He beat the dude that he was put in with, but I think DeGale is going to be in for a world of hurt once he’s set up with a halfway decent middleweight like Daniel Jacobs or Winky Wright.
Maybe DeGale needs to go on a weight lifting regimen to build up power or something. I don’t know but he needs to do something to find some power before he’s thrown in the deep end with a good middleweight who will be looking to tear his head off instead of just flopping around on the canvas.
Cleverly looks to be the better fighter of two, but in a million years, I can’t see Cleverly beating fighters like Jean Pascal, Tavoris Cloud, Chad Dawson, Bernard Hopkins, Glen Johnson or even an old Roy Jones Jr. Cleverly is missing the big kind of power he would need to beat those guys in my estimation.
The good thing he has going for him is that he’s only 22, and can wait them out, but even if he sticks around for another eight years or so, there will probably be a bunch of younger dudes coming up that will be just as much of a problem for Cleverly as Pascal, Cloud, Dawson, Hopkins, Jones and Johnson. Cleverly needs more power to get him to the next level, because he looks too weak to me. Maybe he should move down in weight to the super middleweight division. Who knows? Cleverly might be able to have more power at the lower weight. I doubt it, but it’s worth a try.
Tags: Cleverly vs. Brancalion, Cleverly-Brancalion, DeGale vs. Barr, DeGale-Barr ,James DeGale, Nathan Cleverly34 Responses to “DeGale and Cleverly: Are they future champions or just gate keepers?”
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TRUST ME CLEV HITS HARD, he never even got out of his 1st gear, he can box, he can puch and hes got a big heart, by the end of the year he will be a world champion.
Clev = yes
DeGale = no
simple as that really
i dont think that much of degale at the mo, but he has only had 6 bloody fights! give him half a chance at least.
I want to see Tavoris Cloud fight Chad Dawson!
I enjoy boxing and this site too much.
Scott, you’re the best. Keep telling the truth.
You’re number #1 fan.
to mention degale in the same league as cleverly at this stage is frankly offensive!
its too early to tel;l if degale is going anywhere at the moment. give him anohter 5 or 6 fights and we will see.
cleverly is a gatekeeper of nothing, barring his own destiny. he graduates from uni this summer and once he goes full time and steps up a gear again, then we will see what he is truly made of. at the moment he has what it takes to mix it with the best. but some full time training and better sparring over the next 8-12 months will bring him to the level where he is considered at least the equal, if not the superior of tavoris cloud, who has been professional for the same amount of time as nathan, and once that hurdle has been jumped, the next step up is bad chad.
a test i give him every chance of passing with flying colours
AHAHAHAHA HA! Cleverly no power? He just KO’d a guy who’s only ever been stopped once before in 41 fights. You really are a joke, i might be bias because i know Clev’s family and i’m going to his party on friday but i think he can KO every light-heavyweight you just named.
@ lee coo,lol very good, or maybe smoking his crack pipe.
why is this guy allowed to write for this site. Yappin about a boxer who’s had 6 fights what a loser scott gilfoid really is
I RECKON SCOTT WAS P*SSED WHEN HE WROTE THIS ONE.
I RECKON DE GALE WOULD LAST 12RNDS WITH YOUR SUPERSTAR DIRRELL EVEN AT THIS EARLY STAGE OF HIS CAREER.
SCOTT WAS THE MAN, I MEAN PETTY LITTLE BOY WHO TOLD US DIRRELL WAS GOING TO KO CARL FROCH EASILY THIS IS AFTER HE HAD TOYED WITH HIM FIRST MIND.
SCOTT YOU ARE CLUELESS ABOUT BOXING. CLUELESS !!!!!!!!
check out james degale vs Jindrich Kubin
if you dont think he has power and speed then think again!
The fact is scott gilford hasnt got a clue!
He compares degale a 6 fight novice with someone like pavlik, who has had nearly 30 pro fights, anyone who reads scotts articles knows he is just a hater on europeans…FACT!
Anyone who has got a clue about boxing knows scott is full of s**t and probaly couldnt fight his way out of a wet paper bag…..
Are we talking about the same Nathan Cleverly who is currently on a 6 fight KO streak?
He had no power when he starts his pro career, but he is still only a kid. Hes getting better with every fight, stronger with every fight.
I am not convinced he will be a world beater, but come on, hes young.
Degale is also just starting his career, its too quick to judge where he will or will not end up.
Cynical people said prince naseem hamed would never make it to world level. But he did. In style.
you all hate scot guildfoid yet you all read his artisle and post comments…. arnt you seeing a pattern here… the people who run this site love scot because he brings people to the site!!! scot articles are the most read and the most commented on… your all idiots for reading therm in the first place!! if you dont like him ignore him and he’ll probably stop writing!!!
sorry guys but boxrec.com was down last nite, so had to find records from elsewhere….hence the mix up.
Yeah i was shocked when i saw adamek get koed in a fight then i realised it wasn’t the cruiserweight champ =)
@ ThisGUYtalkssomeBS
i’m so pleased someone else has said it too!!
@rob and mike theres 2 thomas adamek,i just think robs getting them mixed up,lol
Wow! why am i not surprised to read another shot at British fighters?? lol Ricky Hatton, David Haye, Ameri Khan & now even to Novice to the sport of boxing Degale & Cleverly!
Degale was most probably is missing something due to the fact of him….maybe having only had 6 fights, you clown! lool
what a load of bs
sorry i mean pavlik will beat degale and hopkins cleverly…….my bad on that
nice article scott you really seem to have won everyone over with your pro american slant on everything. deGale admitted himself he pretty much didnt think for one round then as soon as he switched on Barr couldnt hit him and he knocked the guy out with a slap, which suggests he has decent power.
as for cleverly he knocked out a guy who has only been knocked out once before. he has a great boxing hea on him as we can see from how well he adapts after a round. AND hes taking the best route to world stage by taking all the domestic and european belts, and is increasing with power fight by fight but you give the guy no credit. whats the point in saying hopkins will beat degale and pavlik would beat cleverly. ur a joke mate.
I noticed you didn’t mention Kevin Mitchell, Scott. Remember the guy you reckoned lost to Prescott, even though he landed twice as many punches. Did you think he lost this time as well? His opponent was a big puncher but alas couldn’t take a big punch. Go on write an article on him next, you know you want to.
Nathan cleverly is becoming more powerful with every fight and a couple more fights, probably over the pond and he is ready for a world title shot. He finishes his maths degree in May and will definitely be able to work out all the angles when it comes to boxing. There you go another ongoing target for you Scott. As for Degale I think he fights like Dirrel, amateurish but can take a punch.
scott i dont think anybody gives a flying f**K about what you say, all you do is slate every boxer whos not from america, now about degale the guys only had 6 fights give him a chance and about cleverly! a gate keeper! have you heard of glen johnson?!?! the guys basically got the job! i feel sorry for you tho, i bet ya still live with your mother, tbh have you ever kissed a girl? end of day american boxing is in its worst rut ever and have you noticed that almost all of your predictions are wrong? get a life son!
Its getting boring now scott, we know u have taken over michael liebermans place but f ing hell u do talk some sh*t.
lol…so you think that 9 year pro kelly pavlik is a better boxer than a novice who is only just fighting 6 rounders? well…no sh**. i’d take degale over the pavlik who struggled so badly against edson madrid when he was just starting out tho…in fact…degale after 6 fights…with his amateur-y style & needless flash is better than pavlik was after 20. you want proof that the us ranks are garbage at the moment, that proof is kelly pavlik.
it’s funny…you’re obviously british…or else you wouldn’t have watched these fights…or even care…so why are you hating on all the british pros? just trolling or what? lame, dude. lame.
personally i think degale has potential…. he dose slap sometimes but hes quick and powerfull so it doesnt matter… hes improved alot since his debut and if he keeps improving then he’ll be competing against ward and dirrell next year! cleverly has good but not great power in both hands. hes very busy in the ring like calzaghe and hes not afraid to take a few in persuit of winning. hes only 22 and boxing part time so with more training he’ll be great. wether he3 can beat pascal, dawson and co im not sure.
@Rob adamek’s only lost to chad dawson….
for christs sake man, when will u give up slating british fighters.
u overhype US prospects with less pedigree than DeGale and then slate a guy who has commonwealth medals and olympic gold medals. get a grip.
but with cleverly u have made a mistake, u slate a good prospect who has beaten everyone they have put infront of him, cleared up all the domestic belts available and has knocked out or taken out fighters who have not been dropped or stopped before.
and just to add insult to ur views, the other week you posted an article stating that Tomas Adamek is now being highly touted as a heavyweight prospect never mind his exploits at light heavy and cruiser. you hyped him up to be a possible usurper to a heavyweight crown,namely Haye’s title infact.
now hear this, looking at Haye record compared to Adamek’s i do not see where u can come to that conclusion, and to add to Cleverly’s name he has just taken apart,stopped and infact TKO’d Brancalion who beat Adamek back in 2007.
so in conclusion that not only puts Cleverly as a gate keeper it puts him up there as a future heavyweight champ. that is looking statistically at it, because Mr Gilfoid u come up with wilder claims with no credentials or statitics to back them up.
get a grip man, just watch the prospects grow with each fight,and as for Cleverly he’s a young man in an old mans division. he has a better chance of making it to the top, cos the current crop of champs will be long retired when he’s still in his 20′s.
if they were american they would be the next ray robinsons or mayweathers
Regarding Degale i will concede that so far he hasn’t showed enough potential to surpass British and Commonwealth status.
As for Cleverly just you wait and see. He’s still studying at uni (part time fighter) and strolled his way to being British, Commenwealth and European champion.
Too weak? Since switching trainers he has had 6 knockout victories in 7 fights!!!!!
Are you serious?degale is just at the start of his carear and cleverly is only 22 and easily win the ebu title.a take it next youll be saying kell brooke is terrible aswell even tho hes beter than any american prospect.,and whats the big deal about power?bradly cant punch eaither but to the americans hes the next super star.