Nathan Cleverly: 'I will destroy Tony Bellew'

Welsh boxer Nathan Cleverly has insisted that Tony Bellew missed out on his best opportunity to defeat him when the two clashed in Liverpool in 2011.

Cleverly earned a majority-decision win at light heavyweight over Bellew, and after the Liverpudlian mocked him after beating Valery Brudov on Saturday evening, the former WBO titlist has revealed that he would welcome a rematch in the future.

The 27-year-old told Ringside: "I was watching at home and was actually laughing at the television. It's all good fun and I take it with a pinch of salt, basically. But when it happens, he's going to get spanked again.

"I think that Tony's only chance to beat me was in that fight in Liverpool. I was 24, I went into the fight at several weeks' notice, in his backyard and that was his best chance of beating me.

"Now I'm at cruiserweight, I am 27 and I'm not yet at my peak but heading towards it. I am going to destroy this guy when we fight again."

Cleverly is expected to announce plans for his cruiserweight debut next week.