Cleverly v Bellew II: Jim Watt gives Tony Bellew credit for winning a hard, gruelling fight

Tony Bellew gained revenge by out-pointing Nathan Cleverly and while Jim Watt admits the right man won, he was not overly-impressed with the action...

Cleverly is not a cruiserweight and I am not convinced Bellew is either but at least he did that extra bit.

It was a Tony Bellew win without doubt but if I am honest, it just took too long for it to ignite. And if anything, there was no spark that got these two going in the ring like we thought they would.

Some people said it would be an explosive rematch and while we were all sitting there, waiting and expecting it to happen, it never got going.

Even though Bellew was a clear winner - and I don't get the split decision either - his bombs were nowhere to be seen. I know Cleverly avoided most of them but at no stage did either manage to wobble the other.

The first eight rounds had us all waiting and watching to see if something would spark but for some reason, it ended in a decision that although I couldn't understand the split from one judge, it was exactly what we were expecting.

I actually had Bellew ahead by four by the end. The simple fact I was leaning towards him was not a surprise but I really didn't think it would be that wide. Nathan Cleverly's performance was strange, odd, but at the end of the day, it wasn't enough.

Credit to Bellew - he thoroughly deserved it but in those first eight rounds, no-one dominated or imposed themselves. Cleverly reminded us all what a good jab he used to have, but this time he was flicking it, rather than landing them properly.

I had them dead-level after eight but was I surprised to see Cleverly fade away? Well, when when I was a lightweight and sparred with a light-middleweight I was better than him and while five or six rounds weren't a problem, the longer it went, the tougher it got.

I think it was clearly a weight issue that stood out. Cleverly is not a cruiserweight and I am not convinced Bellew is either but at least he did that extra bit. He didn't carry that much power and maybe if anything they both looked a little sluggish.

Comfortable

But give Bellew credit. He used the physical advantage - by pushing him back and keeping him on the back foot. I did think that cruiserweight move made Bellew the slight favourite, but I always thought Cleverly was going to need to be well ahead on points before it caught up with him in the second half.

It didn't happen and Bellew had enough in the tank to make sure he was not going to slip up. He wanted this revenge win and he does feel and look the more comfortable at cruiserweight than Cleverly, but I wonder if it is where he should be.

Then again, he knows what the light-heavyweight division has to offer, in the shape of Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev and you can understand why he is up a weight.

And on top of all that, he is going to get another shot at a world title. That, plus overcoming that first fight, is all Tony Bellew wanted and that is exactly what he got. He should get all the plaudits because now it's his time.