• Fight Insight

Cleverly fearful of blowing Hopkins chance

Tony Bellew called Nathan Cleverly a "f*****g rat" during a press conference in May © PA Photos

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Nathan Cleverly has struggled to force his way into the public consciousness since earning the WBO light-heavyweight strap in May, and so will be desperate to prove his worth in a title defence against Tony Bellew on Saturday.

Cleverly, a shrewd maths graduate, has made no secret of his plans to retire from the sport, which he views as a "short-term" pursuit, after five or six more fights.

If he wants to maximise his earnings, he needs to face the biggest names at 175lbs - and a demolition of Bellew is sure to send an unequivocal message arrowing towards Bernard Hopkins, the 46-year-old WBC champion: I am ready to compete at your level.

So the pressure is on the Welshman to dominate Bellew, who is unbeaten from his 16 professional contests and ranked 13 by the WBO. The omens are good for Cleverly, as Bellew has been on the canvas three times in his last three fights, finding himself floored by unheralded names such as Ovill Mackenzie and Bob Ajisafe.

And although Cleverly doesn't have a reputation as a murderous puncher, having KOd 50% of his 22 opponents so far, he has the sort of intense, relentless style that can grind down over-matched adversaries. Bellew, fighting in front of a Liverpool crowd that will be firmly in his favour, is going to find himself hunted down from the first bell.

Cleverly will also be galvanised by the torrent of abuse he has received from Bellew, which began with him branded a "f*****g rat" in May and has hardly slowed down since. Bellew has talked a ferocious game, his barbs dripping with menace and confidence, and Cleverly admits he has been riled.

It's easy to conclude that Cleverly will accomplish his mission easily - and it's my feeling that he will - but Bellew isn't a hopeless cause. Cleverly swarms rivals, meaning he's usually within hitting range, and the animosity he feels towards Bellew - which seems genuine - may breed recklessness. Bellew possesses ferocious fists and, although the "Bomber" nickname perhaps exaggerates his threat, if he can find the time and room to tag Cleverly with a counter, expect fireworks.

Bellew has attempted to get under Cleverly's skin with a succession of insults © PA Photos

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Even Cleverly, who has been understandably reluctant to dish out much praise, respects Bellew's power: "He has a reputation as a big, single puncher, where I rely more on speed and stamina. There is no doubting that Bellew is a dangerous puncher and can dig a bit."

But because Bellew is going to struggle to impose his will on this fight - he's too slow to disrupt his razor-sharp opponent - it's extremely tough to picture him triumphing. It would take a drastic loss of focus from Cleverly who, while he can be a bit hot-heated, isn't renowned as a cluttered thinker.

So he will surely go on to walk the same path as fellow Welshman Joe Calzaghe by fighting Hopkins - providing he gets past Chad Dawson at the weekend. A date with the American legend may come a little too soon in Cleverly's career, but with his self-imposed six-fight limit and Hopkins' age forcing his arm, the time for action is here. And it starts against Bellew.

Elsewhere on the bill, James DeGale goes for the European super-middleweight title against Piotr Wilczewski in a fight that is legitimately being dubbed a make-or-break contest for the former Olympic champion. In an era where nothing sells like an unbeaten record, DeGale could be staring at a CV of two losses from 12 contests - and it will be very hard to recover from that.

Nothing stings like defeat to a bitter rival and, following his narrow points loss to George Groves during May, DeGale appears to have learned a valuable lesson: he can't let the early rounds drift by.

He'll also be motivated by promoter Frank Warren's shock decision to add Groves to his stable, which DeGale admits left him feeling "betrayed" at the time. Expect a blistering start as DeGale fires a message to both Warren and Groves ahead of a rumoured rematch.

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