• Cruiserweight

Cleverly: Kovalev loss was a blessing in disguise

Nathan Cleverly lost his WBO light-heavyweight title to Sergey Kovalev in August © PA Photos

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Nathan Cleverly has admitted his step up to cruiserweight was "inevitable", stating his WBO light-heavyweight loss against Sergey Kovalev in August was the turning point for the decision.

Cleverly lost his WBO crown to Kovalev in Cardiff - his sixth defence of the belt - but has described the defeat, which is the only mark on his card to date, as a "blessing in disguise."

The Welshman has now taken the decision to move up to cruiserweight and believes he will achieve two-weight champion status before the end of 2014 - starting with a bout against Daniel Ammann for the vacant Commonwealth title at the Copperbox Arena on November 30.

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"I knew four fights ago [about the decision to move up weights]," Cleverly told BT Sport. "I remember watching myself back on television and I thought 'something's not right'. I didn't have the same snap or the same fire as I did in my early days at light-heavyweight.

"I felt the weight was a big factor for me, but I kept winning, I was world champion at light-heavyweight and I kept winning, so there was no trigger point for me to move up to cruiserweight. But the loss, that was the trigger point.

"It's happened, it's a blessing in disguise and now I will become a world champion at cruiserweight. It was an inevitable process really, because I'm still young and naturally growing, so it was only a matter of time before moving up a weight.

"If there was a weight in between, that would be ideal, but because cruiserweight is such a big jump that's why it's such a big issue. But if you do it properly, which I will do, then we can overcome that."

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