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WBO light heavyweight boss Nathan Cleverly has been calling for tougher title defenses, and he could indeed have just that this Saturday night as the Welshman gets the home town advantage against big-punching challenger Sergey Kovalev at Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff.
One can’t blame Cleverly for wanting to face a higher level of opposition. Absent on his resume are big names in the division such as Tarvoris Cloud, Bernard Hopkins, Chad Dawson, Adonis Stevenson, Jean Pascal…etc.
Instead, to date Cleverly, 26-0 (12), faced Tony Bellew, Tommy Karpency, Shawn Hawk and Robin Krasniqi since acquiring the WBO strap in 2011, with only Bellew’s name standing out as potentially world class.
Now, the lanky 26 year old from Cefn Fforest looks to be possibly heading in the right direction with the fight against Kovalev, 21-0-1 (19), an American based Russian with a fearsome heavy-handed reputation.
The 30 year old Ft. Lauderdale resident has finished off 19 of his 22 opponents since turning pro in 2009, although the vast majority of his conquests are obscure fighters, leading to the idea that Kovalev was getting fed a diet of stiffs.
That changed in January of this year when “The Crusher” walked through ex-WBA champion Gabriel Campillo, who was coming off a split decision loss to IBF titlist Tarvoris Cloud in a bout that many felt Campillo had won.
Kovalev displayed superb form along the way to knocking down Campillo three times to produce a third round stoppage, firing off crisp combinations that featured a destructive mix of body and head shots.
For Cleverly to walk out of the Motorpoint Arena with the WBO belt still around his waist, he’ll have to use his height and reach advantages to keep Kovalev from at a distance. If the challenger can set up within punching range, we will find out just how sturdy is Cleverly’s chin.
Kovalev covers distance and moves in behind the jab, a very hard punch that sets up lethal right hand/left hook combinations. Cleverly will have to slip that jab, fire off an effective counter and get out of range before Kovalev can dial in the artillery.
If the champion can do that effectively for the first half of the bout, he can then use to his advantage what could be a Kovalev weakness; stamina.
Because of his firepower, Kovalev has never been past eight rounds and Cleverly, who has gone 12 rounds on four occasions, will certainly try to exploit that situation to try and wear down the challenger until the second half of the bout before unleashing his own arsenal.
But if Kovalev can land his jab and get inside, we could see a new champion on Saturday evening. He may not even have to force Cleverly into a slugfest as the Welshman likes a good tear-up.
If that happens, Cleverly could still prosper as Kovalev puts a lot into his punches and is very open to a fighter who can make him miss the initial shots of his combinations.
It should be a very thrilling fight as long as it lasts. If it ends early, it will likely be a Kovalev stoppage victory but if it does go the distance, expect a Cleverly points win.
Chief support bouts feature big-punching Commonwealth light heavy champ Ovill McKenzie, 21-11 (10), squaring off with former WBO cruiserweight beltholder Enzo Maccarinelli, 36-6 (28), in a rematch and a British super feather title contest between champion Gary Buckland, 27-2 (9), and challenger Stephen Smith, 16-1 (9).
Durable McKenzie, of Derby, and Swansea’s chinny banger Maccarinelli initially faced off this past November with McKenzie halting the Welshman in the second round.
Buckland, a local Cardiff man, will win the Lonsdale belt outright if he leverages his usual high volume, low power style to outwork Liverpool’s Smith, a former British and Commonwealth featherweight champion.
