By Scott Gilfoid: Former WBO light heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly (29-1, 14 KOs) is hoping to shut Tony Bellew’s yap for the final time in front of Bellew’s own Liverpool fans on November 22nd in their unneeded rematch at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, UK.
Cleverly says he whipped Bellew once in front of his Liverpool fans in their previous fight in October 2011 in beating him by a 12 round decision, but this time he wants to knock him out in front of his loud fans so that he can close the book on the rivalry.
The Bellew-Cleverly rematch is kind of not needed if the two of these guy were doing what they should have been doing in winning their fights, but unfortunately both of them have tasted defeat at the hands of knockout punchers, so they’re kind of in a situation where their fight together might be the last hoorah for both of them.
I suppose the winner of the fight could potentially get a world title fight against WBO champion Marcu Huck if their promoter Eddie Hearn can put together a deal with Huck’s promoter, but you can’t give Bellew or Cleverly any chance of beating a talent like Huck. I mean, he’s on another level completely compared to the likes of Bellew and Cleverly.
“I cannot wait for this,” Cleverly said via Skysports.com. “I beat him in front of his people before and this time I’m going to knock him out in front of his people. There will be no final bell in this fight, it’s going to be brutal.”
I can’t see the light hitting Cleverly knocking Bellew out because he lacks the punching power to score a knockout, but you never know. Bellew’s chin may have been softened up sufficiently by his knockout loss to Adonis Stevenson last year in November.
Bellew was battered by Stevenson the entire fight, and he was literally out on his feet when the fight was finally halted in the 6th round. The bout should have been halted in the 4th round when it was clear that Bellew didn’t have the talent to be competitive with Stevenson.
“Expect the same result,” Cleverly said. “A Nathan Cleverly victory and then I will become a two-weight world champion.”
I do expect Cleverly to get the same result in terms of him out-pointing Bellew like he did last time, but I definitely don’t see him knocking him out. I can’t see that happening. As far as Cleverly winning another world title, I don’t see that happening.
Huck is too big of a puncher. Cleverly also doesn’t match up with the other cruiserweight champions Denis Lebedev, Yoan Pablo Hernandez and Grigory Drozd. Those guys have too much power, too talent and too much skills for Cleverly to deal with.
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