Add in a bunch profanities and this is the kind of talk currently being aimed at Eddie Hearn. The man in charge of Matchroom Sports, responsible for giving over a dozen British fighters world title shots and organising one of the biggest boxing bouts of all time in just the last four years, is under a hail of criticism. As Roy Keane probably once said, sports fans are fickle bastards.
Delusional, that’s a word you’ll have heard regularly within the world of boxing in the modern era and one you will hear more and more as we approach a series of grudge matches that has lit a fire beneath British boxing that is likely to see the levels of bluster reach fever pitch. It’s a word that has always interested me, simply because despite its negative connotations it is such a crucial weapon in the armory of a professional fighter.
The manifestations of such behavior is of course dictated by an individuals personality, but believe me, to a man, every boxer, journeyman aside, have convinced themselves completely that they have the beating of their opponent. To me, the only difference between these assertions being considered delusion rather than belief is the manner in which you choose to state it. In an era when self-promotion is as important to a fighters earning potential as skill, delusion has become somewhat of an art form and three of its chief exponents will benefit in the coming weeks.
Perhaps Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn knew what he was doing by making the November 22nd rematch between Tony Bellew (22-2-1, 14 KOs) and Nathan Cleverly 28-1, 14 KOs) a pay-per-view fight on Sky Box Office from the Echo Arena, in Liverpool, Merseyside, United Kingdom. The fight card, which includes the likes of James DeGale, Anthony Joshua, Callum Smith, Stephen Smith, Scott Quigg, and Jamie McDonnell, sold out in just 48 hours after the tickets went on sale.
That’s pretty impressive. The Bellew-Cleverly 2 fight is a decent one, but hardly what you’d call a great one. Neither of these guys have the talent to win a world title at cruiserweight in my view, but that still didn’t stop their fans from quickly buying out the tickets in just 2 days.
Tony Bellew will finally seek his revenge against arch rival Nathan Cleverly when the pair meet in the hugely-anticipated grudge match exclusively live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Three years ago, Cleverly defeated Bellew by a tight majority decision as he defended is WBO World Light Heavyweight crown and finally the rematch is on. On November 22 the pair will go head to head for the second time but at Cruiserweight back at the Echo Arena in Bellew’s home town of Liverpool.
Nathan Cleverly makes his Cruiserweight debut against Sean Corbin at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff on May 17, live on Sky Sports – and the Welsh star promises to pack a punch at his new weight. Cleverly moves up from Light Heavyweight for the first time against the Guyanese puncher and the former WBO champion returns to the scene of his final fight at Light Heavyweight against big-hitting Russian Sergey Kovalev in August, and says he is ready to show that he’ll have extra power up at 200lbs.
“I can still make Light Heavyweight – but there’s a difference between making the weight and performing at my best at the weight,” said Cleverly. “There’s no way I can perform at my best at 12st 7lbs. My body fat percentage is too low and I feel sluggish when I try to get down to the weight, my mouth gets dry and my legs get heavy.
Hearn doesn’t have an opponent picked out for Cleverly yet, but suffice it to say that it won’t be anyone good enough to worry the 27-year-old fighter any. This is Cleverly’s cruiserweight debut, so Hearn will make sure that he matches him softly so there’s no chance of a mishap. Hearn almost blew it with his matching of Bellew against 37-year-old Valery Brudov this month in a fight that Bellew took a beating and was staggered at one point in the fight in the 7th round.
London / Johannesburg / Monte Carlo (December 24, 2013) – Former WBO light-heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly has replaced Pawel Kolodziej as an opponent for big-hitting cruiserweight Junior Makabu on the undercard of Gennady Golovkin’s championship fight at the Monte Carlo Boxing Bonanza on February 1, 2014.
The tournament is presented by Africa’s promotional giant, Golden Gloves of South Africa.
Cleverly (26-1, 12 KOs) stepped in after Kolodziej had second thoughts about facing the brutal puncher from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The pair will meet in a 10-round non-title bout.
Former WBO World Light-Heavyweight Champion Nathan Cleverly has had to withdraw from his comeback fight at the Copper Box Arena this Saturday due to a back injury.
The Welsh star was making his long awaited return to the ring against Australian Daniel Ammann for his first fight in the cruiserweight division with the Vacant Commonwealth title on the line.
Finchley heavyweight Dereck Chisora still headlines the show when he defends his WBO International title against Ondrej Pala with the Vacant WBA International title also on the line, with London super-middleweight star Frank Buglioni challenging for his first title – the Vacant WBO European Championship, plus a cracking showdown between Bradley Skeete and Colin Lynes for the Vacant English Welterweight title.
The former WBO World Light-Heavyweight champion takes on the tough Australian Daniel Ammann for the Vacant Commonwealth Cruiserweight title on Saturday 30th November at London’s Copper Box Arena, live and exclusive on BoxNation.
Cleverly, 26, who started his pro career as an 18-year-old welterweight in 2005, is now adding an extra 25lb of muscle as he starts his campaign to win a second world title after his shock loss to Sergey Kovalev in August.
And the Welsh star knows that he will need as much beef as possible in his new weight class as he’ll be facing small heavyweights, but is confident he’ll also have the speed to deal with them.
Welsh star Nathan Cleverly will begin his campaign to become a two-time world champion when he makes his big ring return as a cruiserweight on Saturday 30th November at London’s Copper Box Arena. Cleverly goes straight back into title action when he takes on Australian Daniel Ammann for the Vacant Commonwealth title, featuring alongside Dereck Chisora who makes the first defence of his European Heavyweight title against Matteo Modugno, live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky Ch. 437/Virgin Ch. 546).
The 25-year-old lost his unbeaten record and WBO World Light-Heavyweight crown to big-hitting Russian Sergey Kovalev in August, but after a break and refocussing himself on his career, Cleverly is desperate to get back in the ring and win a second world title in 2014.