A rematch that has been three years in the making will finally take place on Saturday night as Nathan Cleverly and Tony Bellew attempt to settle a rivalry that stems all the way back to the summer of 2011.
After a world title opportunity for Bellew came and went in a matter of days, the Liverpudlian finally got to face the then WBO light-heavyweight champion in the winter but it was Cleverly who ended the night on top, prevailing by majority decision after the judges had scored the fight 117-112, 114-114 and 116-113 respectively.
However, since both moved up to cruiserweight at the start of 2014, they have remained on collision course and on Saturday night, the two British fighters will have the opportunity to try to prove who is the better man at a weight class two stones heavier than when they fought three years ago.
Below, Sports Mole assesses the credentials of both men before attempting to predict who will emerge as the victor at the weekend.
1. Nathan Cleverly
Before his world title bout against Sergey Kovalev last year, Cleverly had established himself as one of the top names in the light-heavyweight division, making five successful defences to put him in with a great chance of securing a high-profile showdown with Bernard Hopkins in the United States. However, that dream was obliterated by the challenger in just over three rounds, and it was a defeat that hit Cleverly hard after he had ultimately been embarrassed in front of his home fans.
Kovalev has since gone on to prove himself to be top dog at 175lbs, something that may have helped Cleverly accept that there was no shame in losing to the heavy-punching Russian, but for a time, the Welshman contemplated his future in the sport and took time away to assess his options. Outside of the ring, Cleverly is well educated and has other avenues he could make use of, but over time, the decision was made to avoid draining his body to make weight at light-heavyweight by taking steps to become a cruiserweight.
It's a transition that has taken time, and that saw the 27-year-old forced to pull out of a date in Monte Carlo against the dangerous Ilunga Makabu with a back problem, but that injury has proven to be a blessing in disguise. Realistically, at that stage of his career, beating Makabu would have been a tough ask for Cleverly, and the delay helped him not only give his body more time to adapt but allow him the chance to switch allegiances to Matchroom Sport to set the wheels in motion for Saturday's fight.
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Bellew has made a point of stating that Cleverly hasn't fought any opponent of note at cruiserweight, and he's correct with that assessment. Shawn Corbin proved to be nothing other than someone to hit for Cleverly on his debut at the weight and Alejandro Valori, despite going two rounds further than Corbin, was arguably an easier task, but while the choice of opponent can be criticised, they are what Cleverly required at that stage of his career.
Cleverly's fought just six rounds in 15 months, a fact which is far from ideal, but during those six rounds, he's been given the chance to regain some confidence, a vital ingredient going into a grudge match of this magnitude. He's also had the opportunity to grow into the weight and the improvements to his physique were on show during Monday's public workout in Cardiff.
Until fight night, it's not possible to know how Cleverly will shape up in what is the biggest fight of his career, despite no belts being on the line. However, there can be no regrets in the Cleverly camp in regards to his preparation. He's done what has been best for himself as an individual and that will be justified should beat Bellew on Saturday night.
2. Tony Bellew
While Cleverly took months to make his decision to move to 200lbs, it was a far easier call for Bellew. After being dominated by Adonis Stevenson after two below-par performances against Isaac Chilemba, the realisation kicked in that he was depriving himself of his power at light-heavyweight and the logical step was to take his chances in a higher weight class.
Having fought at heavyweight before becoming professional, it wasn't something that was foreign to Bellew and he was back out again in three months, but against Valery Brudov, he hadn't found his optimum body shape and that maybe told in his showing that night. Bellew punched hard - he dropped the Russian in the second, sixth and last rounds - but in the seventh, the Liverpudlian looked on the brink of being stopped with only a low blow from Brudov giving him time to recover before delivering a convincing conclusion.
During a build-up in which Bellew has constantly reminded Cleverly of his failure against Kovalev, the Welshman has barely mentioned his opponent's crisis against Brudov but it was a near miss for Bellew and he improved significantly in blowing away Julio Cesar Dos Santos in July. The Brazilian was arguably a class below Brudov but he carried a threat that was quickly disposed of by the Brit.
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That secured Bellew his ticket for possible redemption against Cleverly, something that he has described as more important than winning a world title. It's a bold statement but there's a lot of pride on the line for Bellew on Saturday night and there's no doubt that he will treat this encounter with more importance than when he faced Stevenson last December.
There's a genuine hatred between both men, which is maybe stronger from Bellew's side than Cleverly, but the emotional involvement from Bellew's perspective can either be a benefit to his cause or detrimental. His determination to win this fight should stand in him good stead but it may hinder his execution of a gameplan.
Strategies could soon be forgotten once the opening bell has sounded, but even if it's a Plan B, it's something that both men could need to fall back on if the fight makes it past the early stages, especially for Bellew. He is right to believe in his punching power, but if Cleverly is still there after four rounds, then he could have another equation to work out.
Prediction
With most fights at this level, you have an inkling of how the action might go, but this showdown throws up too many possible scenarios to make a prediction with any degree of confidence.
Based on what he's shown against higher quality opponents at this weight, it's hard to argue against Bellew's power coming through, but it's unfair to dismiss the artillery possessed by Cleverly. The former world champion's style usually sees him grind down opponents but he's punching harder at this weight and Bellew's chin has shown vulnerabilities in the past.
The safe prediction appears to be that the fight won't go anywhere near the distance, but as for who prevails as the victor to move on to a shot at the WBO title currently held by Marco Huck, it could be a case of who lands first.
Take a look at the stacked undercard involving the likes of Anthony Joshua, James DeGale and George Groves by reading Sports Mole's preview.
Darren Plant
