By Sean McDaniel: Unbeaten light heavyweight Eastern Boxing Union (EBU) champion Nathan Cleverly (19-0, 9 KO’s) is poised to get a world title shot in 2011 if he can continue his forward progress. Cleverly turned 23 today, and with his #2 rankings in the WBO, #3 IBF and #5 in the WBC, he’s going to be getting a shot soon against one of the champions. As of now, it would be difficult for Cleverly to beat WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal and IBF champion Tavoris Cloud. However, Cleverly would seem like a cinch to beat WBA light heavyweight champion Biabut Shumenov, who looked absolutely dreadful recently in winning the WBA title in a questionable 12 round decision over champion Gabriel Campillo.

There is talk that Cleverly might be matched up against number #3 ranked WBC contender Karo Murat, a hard-hitting slugger who fights out of Germany. It would seem like a good match up for Cleverly, as Murat is a crude slugger with good power, but not much else. At the very least, Cleverly should be able to out-box the crude looking Murat unless he catches Cleverly with a big shots and takes him out.

That’s certainly possible too, because even through Murat is deeply flawed, he’s a level or two better than anyone that Cleverly has been matched up against since turning pro in 2005. The vast majority of Cheverly’s opposition have been good 2nd tier opponents. Although most of them have been good serviceable fighter, none of them are what you would consider a 1st tier light heavyweight.

Most recently, Cleverly destroyed a dreadful looking Antonio Brancalion in a 5th round stoppage on February 13th last Saturday night. Brancalion’s claim to fame before the Cleverly fight was being knocked out in 1st round in his last fight against Juergen Braehmer last year in June. As you can see, Cleverly hasn’t been put in with too many opponents you would consider risky for him.

But beyond fighting Murat and the soft touch of a champion in Shumenov, Cleverly could stay busy by trying his hands against the likes of 41-year-old Glen Johnson, Vyacheslav Uzelkov, or Hugo Hernan Garay. I think any one of those fighters would be good for Cleverly to be matched up against so as to further his progress as a fighter.

I tend to doubt that Cleverly will be put in with anyone close to being as good as these guys, but I think those are the guys he needs to be tested against about now. Cleverly just can’t keep getting served up 2nd tier opponent up until the time he’s thrown in with one of the champions.

If that happens, Cleverly will likely get blown out of the water by them. Even a robotic, stiff moving light heavyweight like Shumenov might be too much for Cleverly unless they start matching him against at least a bottom 15 fighter in the 1st tier instead of the fodder he’s been served up.