Cleverly v Bellew II: Liverpool is a fighting city and Blues and Reds will be behind the local lad, says Paul Smith

There is only one place to be this Saturday if you're a fight fan... Liverpool. So who better than Paul Smith to set the scene with fight week well underway...

Liverpool is a fight city. Simple as that.

We get behind our own, we support our own and their clubs when they are in action and that is someting special.

You hear that phrase a lot and I do agree there are a few of them here in the British Isles. But there is something special up here, there really is.

Belfast is the biggest fight city I've ever been to and that is not slagging off Liverpool or the others, but up here is the best in England, for sure.

You only have to look back at the fighters we've produced and the fights we've had and it is hard to disagree.

Every scouser has boxed, or been to a boxing club, at some stage of his life. Boxing is still predominantly working-class and you couldn't get more working-class than our city.

It is going to be an unbelievable atmosphere on November 22 but you need to spend some time up here in Liverpool to really understand what it means to us. We get behind our own, we support our own and their clubs when they are in action, and that is something special.

Entwined

The perfect example will be when Tony Bellew walks into the ring and the tune to Z Cars kicks in. Now I am a Red but if I was an Evertonian that would be the one song to really get me going. It doesn't matter what team you support, what club you box for, you will be right behind the local lad.

Z Cars was my old amateur trainer Jimmy Albertina's favourite song and it was played at his funeral, so how can you not like it when a song like that is intwined in the family - no matter what team you support?

Liverpool and Everton has always been a friendly rivalry, so you will see Reds wanting to see Bellew beat Nathan Cleverly. It is a city that wants to win, whatever it is doing.

It's fairly quiet at the moment but this week it will start to build and build, day by day. The fighters will start arriving, the fans will start getting a bit more giddy and by Saturday, the city will be wanting to see the outcome.

I've got to be honest, I am not even on the bill yet I have already been bombarded for tickets - by strangers as well! I barely use Facebook, maybe once a week to see what's going on, and there it is, 10 or so requests for tickets for November 22.

I will be working in Callum's corner of course and working for Sky at ringside but to be honest I would love to be watching it, sitting there as a fan. Mind you, if I was, I'd only try to blag my way in for a front-row seat...

Watch Cleverly v Bellew II live and exclusive on Sky Sports Box Office on November 22, with Joshua, Groves, DeGale and more, also on the bill. Go to skysports.com/cleverlybellew to book.