• Nathan Cleverly v Tommy Karpency

Karpency has nothing to lose - Cleverly

Nathan Cleverly insists there is no room for complacency as he prepares to face Tommy Karpency © Getty Images

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Nathan Cleverly insists he will not be underestimating Tommy Karpency when the pair enter the ring in Cardiff later this month.

WBO light heavyweight world champion Cleverly makes the second defence of his title at the Motorpoint Arena on February 25, when he will be bid to extend his unbeaten record to 24 fights as a professional.

Fighting in front of his home fans for the first time since 2007, Cleverly admits his rival has got nothing to lose and is wary of the danger the American southpaw poses.

"There has been and there will be no complacency in my preparations and fight plan, Cleverly said. "It would be absolutely stupid and naive to underestimate any opponent in boxing no matter what level you are fighting at.

"It would be recipe for disaster. There is no way I am going to gamble with my unbeaten record against Karpency. A lot of people have written Tommy off, but they're not the ones who are stepping into the ring. When you face another trained fighter, you must be on your game.

"Tommy's got nothing to lose and can give it everything knowing there's a big prize at the end of the line. It's my ambition to remain unbeaten and prevent that from happening."

Cleverly, who beat Tony Bellew in a successful first defence of his title in October, is the overwhelming favourite against Karpency, but the American believes he is capable of pulling off a major upset.

"I'm not sure who Nathan was in negotiations with for this fight, but for me this is the pinnacle of the sport, a world championship bout," Karpency said. "The reason I was chosen as an opponent doesn't affect my drive to win whatsoever. I've been written off before and that doesn't really bother me. I imagine Nathan's camp haven't written me off."

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