State Of The British Game: The Light Heavyweights

In the third part of a detailed examination of the fight game within the United Kingdom, SaddoBoxing’s British contributor Iain Langmaid casts his long eye over the state of the fight game within the British scene and what he thinks the future holds for the fight game within the United Kingdom in 2012 and beyond.

The Light Heavyweight division here in the UK has been a weight class where British fighters have had considerable success since the Second World War. In the 1970s, former British, Commonwealth and European Champion John Conteh of Liverpool was a WBC title holder before losing his title to the Yugoslav Mate Pavlov but failed to regain it in two attempts against Matthew Saad Muhammed.

Prior to this, Chris Finnegan mounted a brave but yet unsuccessful challenge against all-time great Bob Foster, pushing the American for 14 gallants rounds before being stopped in what was the Ring’s Fight of the Year 1972.

Prior to this, Freddie Mills defeated Gus Lesnevich in White City to win the World title back in 1947.

In the 1980s, the much overlooked Dennis Andries held the WBC Light Heavyweight title, losing it twice, once on a stoppage lost and then points, to the tough and durable Australian Jeff Harding in one of boxing’s most overlooked trilogies.

In the early to mid 2000s, it was the turn of Sheffield’s Clinton Woods to become the top British Light-Heavyweight. Winning the IBF trinket twice and fighting an epic three fight series against the Jamaican Road Warrior, Glencoffe Johnson.

Woods went 1-1-1 against Johnson and rarely disgraced himself when fighting some of the best Light Heavyweights around in Roy Jones Jnr, Antonio Tarver along with current IBF champion Tavoris Cloud.

Fast forward to 2012 and the Light Heavy division here is simmering fairly nicely. Currently sitting as the King of the division is the Welshman Nathan Cleverly who currently holds the WBO strap, confidently emerging from the shadow of his former stablemate and countryman Joe Calzaghe.

Cleverly has shown that he is an exciting fighter to watch, a world champion that Britain can be proud of and a very ambitious man who has been targeting match ups with that grand old master Bernard Hopkins or the big hitting Tavoris Cloud in a mouth watering unification clash.

Cleverly feels he needs a step up in competition to show he is a genuine world class operator in a competitive Light-Heavyweight division at world level, and this is after dominating the little known American Tommy Karpency in his most recent defence of his title.

The Welshman also holds a win over a current British champ Tony Bellew, who he defeated on points in a domestic fight of the year candidate and is willing to go 12 rounds if he has to. Cleverly is currently scheduled to fight the little heralded Robin Krasniqi at the Royal Albert Hall in the fourth defence of his WBO title just two months after dominating Karpency.

Another notable domestic Light Heavy is the popular Scouser Bellew, who currently holds the British title, which his former nemesis Cleverly held during his climb up to the world title.

Despite his amateur pedigree, Bellew has an exciting fast-handed big-hitting all action style that has made him a fan favourite in his native Liverpool and is scheduled to fight former English and European champion Danny McIntosh on the 27th April at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.

The fight was scheduled to take place on the 13th of this month but has since been put back due to McIntosh suffering a chest infection. McIntosh, who was stopped in seven rounds by Cleverly in his first challenge for the British title, is a tall rangy fighter with good skills.

But McIntosh has limited power as he has only stopped seven of his 13 victims and could present Bellew with a few problems, however Bellew, with his superior amateur pedigree and knockout power backed by a hugely partisan crowd should come out victorious in this bout.

Also on the British scene posing threats are the Jamaican born Commonwealth Champion Ovill McKenzie, who dropped Bellew twice in their first fight before Bellew rallied and stopped him in eight rounds in a domestic fight of the year candidate back in 2010.

Bellew dominated McKenzie in style during the rematch when Bellew choose to box rather go toe to toe. Despite having 11 defeats on his slate, McKenzie is a tough durable fighter who has only been stopped twice.

McKenzie also has underrated power as well, which Bellew found out in their first fight, and currently holds the quickest victory witnessed in a title fight here in the UK after stopping Talywain’s Jeff Evans in just 15 seconds of the first round when challenging for the then vacant Commonwealth strap.

In his last fight, McKenzie stopped durable former British 12 stone champion Tony Dodson in just three rounds.

Also in the mix is former Bellew victim Bob Ajisafe, who puts his English title on the line against fellow Light Heavyweight prospect in the shape of the unbeaten Travis Dickinson. This bout will be on the packed David Price vs. Sam Sexton British Heavyweight title bill at the Aintree Equestrian Centre on the 28th May with either Dickinson or Ajisafe a potential opponent for either Bellew or McKenzie.

Another Light Heavyweight prospect who has been overlooked recently through injury is former Beijing Olympian Tony Jeffries, who has not fought since dominating Paul Morby in September 2011 over eight rounds.

Before that point, Jeffries showed he could be a force to be reckoned with on the British scene but has been blighted with injury problems and will be looking to get his career back on track in the not too distant future.

But, nevertheless it remains a competitive division and should provide an interesting 12-18 months for British fight fans.