• Boxing

Kuziemski to fight Cleverly after Bellew gets pulled

Boxing promoter Frank Warren steps in between Nathan Cleverly and Tony Bellew © PA Photos

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Nathan Cleverly will now defend his WBO light-heavyweight title against Aleksy Kuziemski, after former opponent Tony Bellew failed to meet a check weigh-in on Thursday evening.

Bellew only stepped in for the bout on Wednesday, enabling Cleverly to make a first defence of a title he was handed after former champion Juergen Braehmer withdrew from the contest due to injury.

He needed to convince the British Boxing Board of Control that he could drain the required weight in time for Saturday's contest at the O2 Arena, but failed to make sufficient progress by a Thursday evening weigh-in - leading the Board to deny him permission to fight on safety grounds.

The Merseyside fighter came in at 13st at the weigh-in, with the division limit at 12st 7lbs.

Kuziemski now steps in, after Cleverly and promoter Frank Warren rejected the prospect of fighting the determined Bellew in a non-title contest at a catchweight.

"I think I've been through everything in the last 48 hours, the main thing for me is that I'm still fighting and that all my hard work has not gone to waste," said Cleverly. "It's been a mad time, but I've been through this before and I'm professional enough to deal with it, let's face it, any problems after this fight will be nothing in comparison.

"I've got to get my head round to focusing on Kuziemski now, he is the man in front of me on Saturday night so I've got to forget about Bellew and Braehmer altogether.

"He's got a good record, he's highly ranked and he's been in with some good guys so he won't be a pushover."

The 34-year-old Pole comes into the fight on the back of two wins against questionable opposition, although he is ranked three places higher (11th) than Bellew in the light-heavyweight division.

"He fulfills all the criteria," Warren told Sky Sports. "It's been a nightmare to say the least. But we've managed to keep the show together. We've still got James DeGale and George Groves fighting. But this has been a nightmare.

"Tony did not fulfil the weight criteria and you have to put safety first.

"We considered a catch weight but that would not have been fair on Nathan. It would have been a difference of 12 pounds and that would not have been fair on Nathan's health. But at least we had a stand-by."

Cleverly and Bellew had exchanged strong words at the pre-fight press conference on Thursday, but the 24-year-old Welshman will now have to adapt to yet another new opponent.

"Nathan is angry about the whole thing, the press conference was very emotional but he has to get himself together and re-focus," Warren noted. "The show must go on."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.