Nathan Cleverly has beaten sworn rival Tony Bellew once but must do it again to close the most significant chapter of his career so far.
The grudge match, live on Sky Sports Box Office on November 22, may be the most bitter rivalry in British boxing memory and the implications of the bout are second to personal vendettas.
Cleverly edged a points win over Bellew three years ago but since then both men have lost world championships and must overcome each other to fight themselves back into contention - but their animosity might just override any prize.
Cleverly is no stranger to the limelight having risen through the ranks as a gym partner of the great Joe Calzaghe. After quietly amassing six consecutive professional wins Cleverly was showcased on the undercard of Calzaghe v Sakio Bika – and the young pretender responded appropriately with a stoppage win over the undefeated Tony Quigley.
When Calzaghe met Mikel Kessler, the up-and-coming Cleverly persevered through his toughest battle to date by edging Joey Vegas – but his star was rising and it wasn’t long before the Welshman experienced the true Vegas.
With 11 wins under his belt, Cleverly accompanied Calzaghe to the fighting capital of the world, Las Vegas, and promptly beat Antonio Baker but that would be his last moment under the famous Welsh champion’s wing.
He left Joe and Enzo Calzaghe’s gym and before long had collected a couple of titles to evidence his growing potential.
He beat Tony Oakley for the Commonwealth light-heavyweight title and after three defences added the Lonsdale belt, with the European title soon to follow.
Rivalry
But it was the WBO light-heavyweight championship that finally confirmed the Welshman as the best in his division, beating Aleksy Kuziemski - a replacement for Tony Bellew who was unable to make weight. The world wouldn’t have to wait long for Cleverly v Bellew.
Bellew challenged for Cleverly’s title and the pair clashed at a heated weigh-in resulting in the champion receiving a hostile reception by the home support on fight night. A neck-and-neck encounter was won by Cleverly by majority decision despite one judge scoring it a draw, but the story was far from over.
After 26 career wins in a row, Cleverly lost his championship and nearly his career on home soil in Cardiff after being stopped by Sergey Kovalev. While his belt was snatched away, Cleverly considered throwing in the towel on his career but after much soul-searching opted to continue.
A move to cruiserweight – in similar fashion to rival Bellew – opened up a new pathway for Cleverly and also put the duo on an inevitable collision course. Cleverly, now the WBA Inter-Continenal cruiserweight champion, will return to the scene of the crime in Liverpool’s Echo Arena in November with a shot at the world title and personal animosity at stake.
Watch Cleverly v Bellew II live and exclusive on Sky Sports Box Office on November 22, with Joshua, Groves, DeGale and more, also on. Go to skysports.com/cleverlybellew to book.