Liverpool will be the capital of the boxing world this weekend, as Welshman Nathan Cleverly and hometown hero Tony Bellew face off for the WBO and WBA interncontinental cruiserweight titles. The bout is a rematch of their 2011 fight, in which Cleverly came away with a victorious decision on points.
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In pre-match interviews, Cleverly made no attempt to hide his confidence, bordering on cockiness. At one point during the weigh-in press event, he even held up two fingers, only to have Bellew grimly slap his hand away.
No matter for the 27-year-old Cleverly, who clearly likes his odds. "I beat him once, it's a matter of pressing the repeat button," he was quoted by the BBC.
Cleverly also dismissed the notion that Bellew, a native Liverpudlian, would have a home crowd advantage at Echo Arena. "He's got a big chance now and he's going to fail again," he told Sky Sports. "You watch this guy crumble when it really counts in that ring. He'll crumble again."
This fight is more than just a personal grudge match, though. The current WBO cruiserweight champion, Marco Huck, is expected to be watching ringside. Speculation reigns that the winner of Saturday's joust will face Huck for that title in 2015.
“There’s an incredible amount riding on this fight,” Cleverly said to The Guardian. “It’s personal between us but I know what will happen to the winner. This fight is a gateway to a world title shot and the chance for me to make that two-weight world champion dream a reality. That rarely happens in boxing, only the best fighters achieve it, so for me to go on and do it, that’s what dreams are made of."
Watch footage of the Cleverly-Bellew weigh-in below:
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