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In 2009, British boxing was left with three world champions after Ricky Hatton got knocked out by Manny Pacquiao. Our biggest star was knocked out cold by the pound for pound great in just two rounds and it showed that Hatton’s elite fighting years are defiantly past him.
Starting the new year saw the attention on Amir Khan and if he could possibly rebuild his hopes of a world title shot after suffering a devastating knock-out in just fifty four seconds.
After an impressive performance against the Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera, Khan was given his chance against WBA light titlist Andriy Kotelnik and he didn’t fail to impress with the performance of his career to date, he outboxed the champion and won the title in style.
Carl Froch, who started 2009 as the WBC super middle champion, continued his winning ways with a sensational 12th round KO against Jermain Taylor in which he was behind on the scorecards and came back strong later in the fight to stop the former undisputed middleweight champion.
Froch was placed into the Super Six Tournament and its world wide attention. Froch made it through the first round against Andre Dirrell via a controversial decision but still however remains the champion
David Haye’s hopes of becoming heavyweight world champion came true with a victory over the 7 foot giant Nicolay Valuev. Haye now looks like a promising talent to the heavyweight division which has been much needed over the years. Hopefully we can see Haye progress as our heavyweight champion in the near future.
Two upcoming British talents have shown that 2010 is really going to be there lift to the level of these fighters. Kevin Mitchell and Nathan Cleverly have shown that they have what it takes to progress to becoming British superstars.
After coming through injury which nearly had him out for a year, 2009 saw Mitchell come back with two stoppage wins before taking on the biggest challenge of his career against Breidis Prescott.
Everybody knows that Prescott is the man who shocked the boxing world by stopping Amir Khan in 54 seconds and this was a real risk for Mitchell. With Mitchell wanting to fight the best after years as a pro, it was a risk that paid off very well.
Mitchell, prior to this fight, has shown us a lot of character throughout his career, especially with his magnificent performance against Carl Johanneson which was a memorable fight for British boxing. He showed that night that he really was going to rise to be an excellent British fighter. His performance against Prescott was very mature, he used his skills to simply outbox the Colombian in a very disciplined fight. He had a game plan which he used throughout the whole time and it paid off with a great performance.
Cleverly had a very impressive 2009 with four victories, four stoppages and adding the British light heavyweight title to his Commonwealth belt. It showed that Cleverly, who is a Maths student at university, really does offer a lot to the British boxing scene.
The performances that he has put in have been dominating and this has been shown with his power and outclassing his opponents in every department. 2009 showed that Cleverly really doesn’t belong in the standard British and Commonwealth scene. Since moving trainers from Enzo Calzaghe to his own Father he has continued to impress in his career and this is why he had a very good 2009. With his impressive form and stoppage wins it shows that 2010 we have a big star to look at for the future in Nathan Cleverly.
2010 had both fighters return early to the ring, enthusiastic to continue their blistering form of 2009 and really launch themselves as the next British superstars. Mitchell had a test from another Colombian fighter, Ignacio Mendoza, for the first defence of his WBO intercontinental lightweight title. Cleverly had a shot at the vacant European Light heavyweight title against Antonio Brancalion and it was a sign of a step up in class for Cleverly.
Mitchell had a very successful defence of his title with an impressive second round KO of Mendoza, a right hand knocked him out early and he couldn’t beat the count. Another outstanding performance from Mitchell, who is showing the lightweight scene that he is getting ready for the best.
Cleverly used a very effective game plan to gradually wear down his opponent for a fifth round stoppage. Cleverly impressed all night, knocking down Antonio Brancalion on route to the stoppage to win the European title. It was a very mature performance from Cleverly, he showed us that he is improving with each fight which is very inspiring to see from a fighter who is still very young and has so much ability at this age.
This showed us what we are expecting of these two fighters, strong and solid performances every time they are entering the ring. Mitchell has shown that he really is ready to take on the best at lightweight, with him being ranked number one by the WBO and number three from the IBF, it simply is a matter of time before Mitchell will get his shot at the title.
Throughout his career he has shown us that he has what it takes to be a champion and the performances are coming along with that too. Mitchell needs to keep on showing the boxing world he has what it takes to beat the best. I certainly hope Mitchell’s next opponent is a recognisable name in a very competitive weight class.
Mitchell has shown that he belongs with the best and by late 2010 I really hope we can see him matched against Michael Katsidis. The British boxing fans will remember Katsidis for his fight with Graham Earl. It was one of the best fights I have seen in Britain for a very long time. I think a Kevin Mitchell – Michael Katsidis fight is a mouthwatering opportunity for British fans to see one of are potential stars to win a title. In the long term, Mitchell has Amir Khan on his radar, lets hope he can have a massive 2010 so he can continue his dream to fight Khan.
Cleverly is still only 22 years of age and what he has done so far has impressed me so much. He is ranked number three in the WBO, number three in the IBF and number five in the WBC and this is a credit to his performances in the ring. Being a Maths student and having exams prior to his European title clash shows that he has incredible determination in life.
From what he has achieved so far without even being a full timed fighter is outstanding. When he finishes his work by the summer and can focus his full attention on boxing, I really do believe that we are going to see a superstar in Nathan Cleverly. He still has so much to learn but with performances like the one against Antonio Brancalion it shows that in the future he is going to be a strong fighter. 2010.
I hope that Cleverly gets some good experience under his belt and really focuses on boxing in his life. He is a true talent and if he can continue his hard work I really do think he can be a world champion. With world champion Tavoris Cloud on his radar, I defiantly hope he continues his hard work in the gym because he has shown he does have the potential to be fighting the likes of Cloud in the near future.
Both fighters have tremendous talent and are certainly adding themselves to the current British superstar list. I think both have the potential to be world champions weather it be in 2010 or in the future. Both being ranked high in the world in their respected weight classes shows that world title shots are on the horizons. For the British boxing fans, I hope they can see that we have another two promising fighters on the way and I can’t wait to see them in their next outings.
