By Scott Gilfoid: WBO light heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly (23-0, 11 KO’s) is scheduled to be back in the ring on February 25th against an opponent still to be determined. The talk is that he’ll face #9 ranked World Boxing Organization contender Andrzej Fonfara on this date.

One would hope that Cleverly would face a better opponent than that, as he’s had it quite easy in his first two fights as the champion against Aleksy Kuziemski and Tony Bellew. Cleverly, 24, is the only remaining British world champion, and with the kind of soft fights he’s been in he may stay a champion for quite some time. But seriously, he’s going to have to eventually face a top five contender or he’ll get his title stripped from him.

What does the future hold for him? His defense is nonexistent and his power is very average. It seems what’s allowed Cleverly to succeed thus far is a high workrate and soft matchmaking. Even with his high work rate, he barely beat the #13 ranked Bellew last time out, and I had the fight scored a draw. When you’re going life and death with bottom feeders in the division then it’s pretty clear you’re not going to last too long as a champion. I’d like to see Cleverly go out against a top five challenger rather than taking on bottom ranked guys and losing eventually, but I just don’t know. He’s so vulnerable that I can see him getting beaten by mistake when in one of his fights against a fringe contender.

Cleverly says he wants to take on Carl Froch and feels this would be a fight that the British public would want to see. Why would they? Cleverly hasn’t fought anyone to make a name for himself. Why would Froch want to waste time on beating this guy, and how is Cleverly going to be a star at home when he’s being put in against fringe contenders without a big name?