Clev

There's a lot I could say about this man, but I don't know if it matters now. I guess what matters is what he stood for, what he lived for, and what he fought for. You always did everything the way you wanted it. And I didn't understand that, but now I understand. I'll never forget you, Nathan. You're the best


Regards

Steffan

PS. Any chance of a refund (My seats cost £70 thats without the 'handling' charge that goes into Franks pocket)?

Hi Steffan, how did the crowd react to the way Cleverly was beaten up so decisively?

Strongback wrote:Hi Steffan, how did the crowd react to the way Cleverly was beaten up so decisively?

And Buckland too.

Most people just left ASAP to be honest. Myself being one of them

Steffan wrote:Most people just left ASAP to be honest. Myself being one of them

 

Did you see Kovalev giving the Welsh fans the F' Off gesture after the fight?


http://www.boxingscene.com/uploads/68765/kovalev-flip.jpg

To be honest I've always been a Clev fan so I'm gutted with what happened last night. His career has stalled over the last few years and he's gone backwards a bit by mainly fighting nobodies. His last few fights were against people he didn't need his skills for and as a result just went forward holding his chin out. It's a shame because his early career progressed well with him picking up each belt.

I'd like to see him get a decent corner team in and fight a resilient but limited boxer next to get a bit of confidence back and then get a couple of top ten fighters under his belt before going back for a world title. It's back to basics for him, started using his skills instead of his chin.

New champion Kovalev said: "I came here and nobody believed I beat their champion but everywhere else in the world they knew already how good I was. I knew he couldn't take my power. The fact the fight was televised on HBO in the United States was very important for me."

Weren't all the belts he won vacant when he won them? Sort of tells you something..........

Unlucky Steffan. Big up for coming on and saluting your man.

Why is everyone giving up on Clev?

Not every welsh fighter will remain unbeaten like Calzaghe. Clev has time on his side he can easily bounce back if he freshens things up a bit.

Trouble is I have noticed in Clev a lack of real passion for the sport which indicates that he does not really want chase the big fights and earn the big money. Seems happy to beat on guys he can easily outwork in the ring.

He stepped up and did not give me the impression that he really wanted to beat Kolorev.

First time poster on here thought i would join in with the post's etc.

Personally i think this is what 90% of people wanted, Cleverly getting took out in relatively easy fashion, because if Cleverly would have won you would have seen quotes as such "Kolorev was just another hype job".

This was a massive step up, and Cleverly got found out, who knows how far he can go however you feel if he had a proper team behind him in his corner how far could he go. At the moment it seems he is not going to be able to mix it with the guys at the top of the division however he's still only young and as time to rebuild. But if he stays the same fighting the same way with the same team you have to question that is he getting held back? what as he really got to offer or are we seeing prime Cleverly i really don't think we are even if he as a suspect chin as some people are saying. Remember he's just been in the ring with one of the biggest hitters in the division.

Daniel1991 wrote:First time poster on here thought i would join in with the post's etc.

Personally i think this is what 90% of people wanted, Cleverly getting took out in relatively easy fashion, because if Cleverly would have won you would have seen quotes as such "Kolorev was just another hype job".

This was a massive step up, and Cleverly got found out, who knows how far he can go however you feel if he had a proper team behind him in his corner how far could he go. At the moment it seems he is not going to be able to mix it with the guys at the top of the division however he's still only young and as time to rebuild. But if he stays the same fighting the same way with the same team you have to question that is he getting held back? what as he really got to offer or are we seeing prime Cleverly i really don't think we are even if he as a suspect chin as some people are saying. Remember he's just been in the ring with one of the biggest hitters in the division.

Clev's strong point is he can outwork fighters but he has little power and his chin was never tested until last night

Think it was a very poor match for Warren to make to be honest.

Clev has been protected for so long then Frank puts him in with the most avoided guy in the division who happens to have knocked out nearly all his opponents.

Similar to when he brought Bredis Prescott over to fight Khan, you haven't heard of the guy but you look at his record & he's knocked out everybody so either he's mustard or has been fighting rubbish, or could be both.

Just don't get why such an experienced promoter like Warren would go after a guy like that with his prized asset when there's other, less dangerous options, & considering he's hand picked opponents so long.

DynamiteChris wrote:Think it was a very poor match for Warren to make to be honest.

Clev has been protected for so long then Frank puts him in with the most avoided guy in the division who happens to have knocked out nearly all his opponents.

Similar to when he brought Bredis Prescott over to fight Khan, you haven't heard of the guy but you look at his record & he's knocked out everybody so either he's mustard or has been fighting rubbish, or could be both.

Just don't get why such an experienced promoter like Warren would go after a guy like that with his prized asset when there's other, less dangerous options, & considering he's hand picked opponents so long.

It would nearly make you think Cleverly wanted to go to Matchroom or somewhere else so Frank fed him to a lion.

Ballbag Bellew has been on Twitter saying there was also no rematch clause which seems incredible for a voluntary challenge.

This whole thing is very un-Frank like and makes we wonder a bit.


Looking at Kovalev's amateur career is enough demonstration that he has quality.

Strongback - I was thinking the same, maybe Clev was sick of the holding back & was desperate to emulate Calzaghe & pressured for the fight, thinking he could win

I hadn't seen anything of Kovalev before myself, but on paper alone his pro record is scary, throw in 200 odd amateur fights & it's not surprising he's avoided

Perhaps Frank was gambling that Cleverley winning would open doorsin America & it's as simple as that, but that's a big gamble & like you say very un-Frank like

It just seems a little pointless for Cleverley now, if he was a mandatory & the fight had to happen then it would be different, as it is it's just very strange

HBO offered the winner of the fight a 4 fight contract which is essentially a ticket to big money fights. That was a tempter I'm sure but did they consider the potential consequences of Kovalev actually being worth his salt.

At the end of the third round with his eyes still rolling around his head the advice he had off his cretinous father was "time to be brave now".....time to be f***ing brave???? No time to get on your bike for 3 minutes and try to clear your head. Last night was a car crash thats been coming for a while and whilst I like Dean Powell he is continually voiced over by that sycophantic clown who clearly knows very little about boxing.

For some reason Clev thought his chin was much better than it was and backed it to be able to keep him out of trouble until Kovalev tired. As Clev has not really fought anyone of note it had not been tested, and fell short.

Dumb tactics, and did not do him any justice at all, thought Kovalev was quality though, ketp things simple and executed them well.

I did predict this, but I also say this needn't be the end of Cleverly. There are still several big names out here who he has a decent chance against and it will be the the true measure of the man to see how he comes back from this. Good luck to Nigel in the future!!

bhb001 wrote:I did predict this, but I also say this needn't be the end of Cleverly. There are still several big names out here who he has a decent chance against and it will be the the true measure of the man to see how he comes back from this. Good luck to Nigel in the future!!

Well he certainly was a "knocked out" Nigel    

 Okay, too early and mind on other things. Nathan!!

Seanusarrilius wrote:Unlucky Steffan. Big up for coming on and saluting your man.

Saluting his man? He's written an obiturary!!

(and asked for a refund)

Clev got his comeuppence sadly. Nice lad and was doing it the right way up until his won the 'title' but then got lazy and cocky, with a corner full of yes-men and a promoter doing nothing to move his career on.

Still a perfectly good boxer, if he wants anything more of a career though he needs to ditch Frank and his dad and go to Hearn with a new trainer.

Agree with Toppy - seems people have written him off completely just because he lost to (probably) the best LHW out there right now. He can come back, but a LOT of changes will have to be made.

bhb001 wrote: Okay, too early and mind on other things. Nathan!!

To be fair to you bhb, I doubt cleverley would have remembered his own name had you asked him on Saturday night.

He can come back from this. But I'm not sure he will. That was a confidence shattering defeat. For someone who clearly liked to dine out on a macho iron chin image, I think his ego will have been butchered and his self belief battered.

Hats off to the guy for wanting the fight and I hope he does regroup and come back a better fighter. Personally, I wouldn't bet on it.

milkyboy wrote:He can come back from this. But I'm not sure he will. That was a confidence shattering defeat. For someone who clearly liked to dine out on a macho iron chin image, I think his ego will have been butchered and his self belief battered.

Hats off to the guy for wanting the fight and I hope he does regroup and come back a better fighter. Personally, I wouldn't bet on it.

One defeat isn't end of story for sure...Think it was the manner of the defeat that was more worrying.....Looked completely out of his depth.....

and Kovvy wasn't Ray Robinson.....

Very disappointing...

Very strange that he went balls out against a known puncher who is known for starting strong but is relatively untested over the distance. Dont know what he was thinking. Maybe he believed the hype regarding his chin, or maybe the game plan goes out the window when he gets tagged.

True Truss, although just weeks before the fight, Roach was stating Kovalev was the most "complete" boxer he has seen which is massive respect considering who Roach has trained over the years.

Kovalev look a league above, which i never expected. I presumed Clev was going to dance round pumping his jab and work combinations to the body in and out style, but the jab was a tad lazy with no real conviction, more of a "stay away from me please" type jab. Soon as Kovalev landed, Clav played the macho dance, Kovalev responded with a similar dance then jumped in with an uppercut and that was that.

http://boxingnewsonline.net/latest/feature/nathan-cleverly-reflects-on-crushing-loss-to-sergey-kovalev-i-remember-thinking-if-he-catches-me-i-m-gone

On Sunday evening, I called former WBO light-heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly.

Understandably downbeat and forlorn, Nathan Cleverly had lost his title to Russian Sergey Kovalev less than 24 hours earlier.

Nathan tried to assure me that he was okay, but the despondency in his voice indicated otherwise. His unbeaten record is in bits and his outlook unclear.

"I'm okay mate," he said. "Like I said, at this level in boxing it's only a matter of time. It's pretty much impossible to remain unbeaten. When it does happen it's a bit sickening but I'm in a good place. No worries."

Nathan Cleverly speaks highly of Kovalev, discusses his lack of defensive training, 'soft defences' and the his uncertainty about fighting on in an incredibly candid interview, while heaping praise on Kovalev. "The Russian's exceptional," he explained, a really good guy, really top fighter."

Tell me a bit about what happened?

Well, there was a brilliant atmosphere going into the fight and I was feeling positive. It was a dangerous fight, we all knew that, Kovalev was going into the fight as the favourite and in all fairness, as the bookies' favourite, when you think about it and look at it the bookies they rarely get things wrong. That's what they specialise in and why they do what they do and they rarely get the odds wrong. They predicted a Kovalev win and credit to him. He came over, I gave him the opportunity to fight for the world title, I mentioned this guy and he came over and took a chance and you've got to give him credit for that.

Were you surprised by how hard he hit?

I suppose I wasn't surprised because with his record it was inevitable that he was a banger and every shot he threw was a thudding shot. It was like a hammer. He wasn't rapid fast, he had good timing, good distance and his punches were just so hard... His jab, his right hand. Just when he caught you on the shoulder he would have an impact and he was just clubbing me. He just clubs you with his heavy hands and he's the type to just club you into submission. That's his aim. To club you until he puts you down. I just kept it tight early but I knew, after taking a few of his punches, I knew I couldn't afford to be caught with a shot on the chin. I knew that. I remember thinking in the first round, if he catches me clean, I'm gone. I remember thinking that. Obviously then I kept it tight, I didn't let my hands go myself because I was concentrating on defence. First round, second round were quite similar. I started letting my hands go more in the second round, quite an even-ish round and at the start of the third round I felt good. My double jabs were starting to land, I thought Kovalev was there to be hit and two-thirds of the way through the round I just remember getting caught on the back of the head by a right hand and I kind of dipped down low and it knocked my co-ordination out and I went down on one knee and from that point, from that first knockdown, I didn't recover 100 per cent. I got up but at that point I didn't feel all clear, I was still a bit dazed and it was a downward spiral from then on.

After the first, despite saying you could feel his power, did you still think it was all to play for?

Yes. I thought I'd just let Kovalev have the first round and I thought I edged the second and had started to win the third round and then I got caught and once he hurt me he sensed that and he just went for the kill. He's got a good killer instinct on him and he took his chance. It's a shame really. It's a shame I didn't get to take him into my part of the fight, the second half, but once he hurt me he just didn't let me off the hook.

You said you were prepared for his power but your chin has always held firm before, it's one thing him punching hard, another thing thinking you would be able to take it. Is that fair to say?

Yeah. I did think I would be able to take it but I knew, I knew – and especially from the first round – I knew if he caught me clean it was highly likely I would go. Even the shots on the gloves and the shoulder, the impact was really heavy. It was clear to me from the first couple of punches that when this guy landed I would be in trouble. But, I felt providing I kept it tight, I could perhaps absorb it for a lot of rounds. I could do that. But when I got caught cleanly on the back of the head there was no recovering from that.

How good is Kovalev, you described him as a monster and that is what he looked like last night...

Yup. He's very good. His timing is excellent, he cuts the ring off very well and his power in both hands is exceptional. Do I think he can be beaten? Yes, he possibly can be beaten by a slick boxer but it's going to be very very hard for them. This guy is on a mission, he's unbeaten, he's knocking everybody over, he's going to be a hard guy to stop. It's just like a tank coming towards you and he just bulldozes his way through you. He's very good. And I felt if there was someone to beat him it would be me. I thought I was the guy who would possibly beat Kovalev because of my speed and my chin and my stamina I thought I had the style to beat him, but I didn't get the chance. He caught me in the third round. It's a shame.

You've been criticised before for being too brave, in the third round you dropped your hands and beckoned him in didn't you?

To be honest, when I get caught sometimes I lose my style, my form. I've never really executed my defence in the gym too much, I've always been an attacking fighter and I've always just instinctively gone on my defence and when he caught me I think I showed some inexperience, I didn't cover up too well, left openings for the follow up shots and he's very accurate and he found the openings with his accuracy and credit to him for that. But I think I showed a bit of inexperience when I got caught, I tried to hold, he kind of denied me that and his leg movement... He kept his range so it allowed him to tee-off on me. He was setting me up for the big shots. It was very difficult. He's a class fighter who's got the distance, got that timing and when he's got you going he knows how to finish you and he was good. It was good killer instinct from him and partly bad defensive work from me.

But I'd say more credit should go to Kovalev for his finishing instincts.

You sound incredibly downbeat, have you spoken to many people today?

Yes, I've been with my girlfriend mostly. Obviously she's there for me and it's nice to be out. We did some shopping this morning, went for a bit of food somewhere where there was a bit of atmosphere. It's just a matter of getting back to normal life as soon as I can, really, and getting back to normality again. This is boxing at the top level. It's a tough sport, you know, and I know how tough this sport is and you could say it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. In boxing, if you're fighting at the top level, it's only a matter of time before someone gets beat and that day came for me yesterday. Some people have two defences of their world title, some people have three, some people have 10 and I've lost my title in my sixth defence. So every world champion has their timescale and the ending came for me in my sixth defence. There's no shame in that. It's a pity the journey came to an end then but that's life. That's professional sport. That's boxing. You pick yourself up and get on with it.

So what happens next for you?

I've had two fights in a row now and I haven't really had a break and bounced straight back into this one – and it's been a long training camp. So it's just time to have a normal life for a bit, maybe just have a couple of months just resting and enjoying myself and leaving it to my inclinations to guide me, really. See what my desire is, if I want to continue. Am I going to stay at light-heavy? Will I continue boxing? Do I want to find something else to do in life? It's a matter of having a break and letting my inclinations guide me.

What's your gut instinct, or is it too raw?

Well, I don't feel too devastated, in all fairness, because when you're fighting someone like Kovalev, in preparation you're always telling yourself and setting yourself up for the worst, to an extent. 'What if you do lose? What if he does catch me and I can't recover and he beats me? Then what would I do in life? Would I continue? Or do I find another career path?' What's my gut instinct now? Just live a bit. Live a bit for a couple of months with friends, with family, have a few drinks, have a bit of junk food, have a few nights out, go on holiday. You know, your instinct will guide you. I've always said as soon as I lose in boxing I will get out of the sport. Do I stick to that? Who knows. We'll see.

After the event, there are some saying you've had easy fights and now you've stepped up you've been exposed. That's harsh, isn't it? You've got those wins over Bellew and Murat...

That's it. You look at The Ring magazine top 10 and Kovalev's the third top 10 guy I've fought in The Ring magazine rankings and that takes all the rankings in order, that's Kovalev, Bellew and Murat and I've fought three of them and I'm one of the top 10, too. That's not bad going. In fairness, a lot of people tar me because I'm a Frank Warren fighter, I think I get tarred with that brush and obviously there may have been a few soft defences in there which are no fault of my own. If I had my way, I would have been straight to the unification fights. I wanted Shumenov and Tavoris Cloud as soon as I became world champion but boxing never happens like that. The politics doesn't allow you to make fights like that straight away. It's unfortunate.

Those so-called 'soft defences' do allow you to make a bit more of a living, though?

Yes, it does. You get a bit of money in the bank. It's not great money but it keeps you ticking over and it builds you up ready for that big fight. This was a big fight but like I said, Kovalev was relatively an unknown but we know who he is now because he's exceptional, that guy.

Bellew - Cleverley 2.............If Hearn and Warren can work together.....or Stephenson-Cleverley...If he comes through...

I think..

Clev talking about retiring, probably on Frank's advice now that his latest meal ticket is of no further use.

Stood for himself, lived for himself and fought trash for money. I lost all respect for him when he first started padding up his record. Shame it couldn't help him against someone who wasn't a stiff.

Sounds to me like he might retire?! Sounds a bit premature to be talking like that, especially if Kovalev goes on to unify and look great in doing so!!

I think Cleverley vs Stevenson is winnable. He isn't the same as Kovalev, yes he hits hard, but is very slow with no real technical ability, i think Cleverley can take him on points. Get a new trainer, work on defense and power, then rematch Kovalev. Khan should have done so with Prescott.

When a Brit loses he gets it doesn't he.......

Bellew was a good win...........He wasn't a stiff.......

I'm not surprised Clev is considering retirement, it's a horrible feeling losing when you have really put a lot into the preparation. Clev is in a slightly better position than David Price but not much better. It's all about money now. Clev says in the interview he hasn't earned much thus far so unless he sees a route to better money he may walk away. At least he has a degree to fall back on and he's still young.

mobilemaster8 wrote:Sounds to me like he might retire?! Sounds a bit premature to be talking like that, especially if Kovalev goes on to unify and look great in doing so!!

I think Cleverley vs Stevenson is winnable. He isn't the same as Kovalev, yes he hits hard, but is very slow with no real technical ability, i think Cleverley can take him on points. Get a new trainer, work on defense and power, then rematch Kovalev. Khan should have done so with Prescott.

Can't see Ballbag winning, he's getting KO'd as well.


Clev's comments show there isn't much money in British/Euro boxing. Derry Matthews said he got £32,000 for his last war with Crolla. It's not surprising Munroe didn't give up his dustbin man job, he is probably on a pension which a lot of these fighters won't be.

Always thought Cleverly and Bellew could have forged out a classic domestic trilogy. Then when the winner of that came up short at the very top, people could have said well those three wars have taken something out of them. Could have been remembered fondly for that trilogy and I bet he now wishes he had gone in that direction.

Strongback wrote:

mobilemaster8 wrote:Sounds to me like he might retire?! Sounds a bit premature to be talking like that, especially if Kovalev goes on to unify and look great in doing so!!

I think Cleverley vs Stevenson is winnable. He isn't the same as Kovalev, yes he hits hard, but is very slow with no real technical ability, i think Cleverley can take him on points. Get a new trainer, work on defense and power, then rematch Kovalev. Khan should have done so with Prescott.

Can't see Ballbag winning, he's getting KO'd as well.


Clev's comments show there isn't much money in British/Euro boxing. Derry Matthews said he got £32,000 for his last war with Crolla. .

32,000 is a lot of money for a British title fight for crying out loud..

Was about say same thing! A decent years wage in one domestic fight?? Id take a years wage for 36 minutes instead of 0900-1700 Mon-Fri!

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:When a Brit loses he gets it doesn't he.......

Bellew was a good win...........He wasn't a stiff.......

It's like the opposite of America. In the States everybody loves a winner and the loser is forgotten about very quickly. In England the focus is on the loser and they pour on the scorn. Wagging the finger and saying "I told you so". It's a strange characteristic. I was at the barbers last week and an English man was getting his haircut in front of me, all he did was moan to the barber for 20 minutes. It was unbearable to listen to.

No offence but you tend to moan about David Haye a fair bit..

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:

Strongback wrote:

mobilemaster8 wrote:Sounds to me like he might retire?! Sounds a bit premature to be talking like that, especially if Kovalev goes on to unify and look great in doing so!!

I think Cleverley vs Stevenson is winnable. He isn't the same as Kovalev, yes he hits hard, but is very slow with no real technical ability, i think Cleverley can take him on points. Get a new trainer, work on defense and power, then rematch Kovalev. Khan should have done so with Prescott.

Can't see Ballbag winning, he's getting KO'd as well.


Clev's comments show there isn't much money in British/Euro boxing. Derry Matthews said he got £32,000 for his last war with Crolla. .

32,000 is a lot of money for a British title fight for crying out loud..

That was probably a career high share of the purse for Derry. There are a lot easier ways to make £32k than doing all the training, sparring and taking punches to the head. I'm sure a percentage of the posters on here make more than £32k a year sitting on their asses and looking at 606 to stave off the boredom.

Strongback wrote:

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:When a Brit loses he gets it doesn't he.......

Bellew was a good win...........He wasn't a stiff.......

It's like the opposite of America. In the States everybody loves a winner and the loser is forgotten about very quickly.  In England the focus is on the loser and they pour on the scorn.  Wagging the finger and saying "I told you so".  It's a strange characteristic.  I was at the barbers last week and an English man was getting his haircut in front of me, all he did was moan to the barber for 20 minutes. It was unbearable to listen to.

A bit like someone repeatedly referring to a fighter as "ball bag" in the vain hope that it may eventually gain some comedic value?

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:No offence but you tend to moan about David Haye a fair bit..

Haven't said much about him lately unlike you with Duran.

Bloody hell, i wish i did mate!! I was on £26k a year and have recently took a ten grand pay cut in the past two years with a job change!!! Saying that, im only in my mid twenties so still have time on my side if i want to emulate rich status like Lumbering.

It's not that I like to moan, it's more that I could see this coming a mile away. If Clev wanted to stand any chance of winning a fight like this he should have fought better than mismatched bums like Karpency and Hawk but was more keen on keeping his title and staying unbeaten at the time. Sort of like warming up for Real Madrid by playing Accrington Stanley.

superflyweight wrote:

Strongback wrote:

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:When a Brit loses he gets it doesn't he.......

Bellew was a good win...........He wasn't a stiff.......

It's like the opposite of America. In the States everybody loves a winner and the loser is forgotten about very quickly.  In England the focus is on the loser and they pour on the scorn.  Wagging the finger and saying "I told you so".  It's a strange characteristic.  I was at the barbers last week and an English man was getting his haircut in front of me, all he did was moan to the barber for 20 minutes. It was unbearable to listen to.

A bit like someone repeatedly referring to a fighter as "ball bag" in the vain hope that it may eventually gain some comedic value?

No comedy intended. He's a clown and a ballbag. Have said it maybe 3 times but on the back of your post will continue with it.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:

Strongback wrote:

mobilemaster8 wrote:Sounds to me like he might retire?! Sounds a bit premature to be talking like that, especially if Kovalev goes on to unify and look great in doing so!!

I think Cleverley vs Stevenson is winnable. He isn't the same as Kovalev, yes he hits hard, but is very slow with no real technical ability, i think Cleverley can take him on points. Get a new trainer, work on defense and power, then rematch Kovalev. Khan should have done so with Prescott.

Can't see Ballbag winning, he's getting KO'd as well.


Clev's comments show there isn't much money in British/Euro boxing. Derry Matthews said he got £32,000 for his last war with Crolla. .

32,000 is a lot of money for a British title fight for crying out loud..

But isn't that the gross purse? Doesn't he have to pay management, trainer, gym fees etc out of that?

Strongback wrote:

superflyweight wrote:

Strongback wrote:

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:When a Brit loses he gets it doesn't he.......

Bellew was a good win...........He wasn't a stiff.......

It's like the opposite of America. In the States everybody loves a winner and the loser is forgotten about very quickly.  In England the focus is on the loser and they pour on the scorn.  Wagging the finger and saying "I told you so".  It's a strange characteristic.  I was at the barbers last week and an English man was getting his haircut in front of me, all he did was moan to the barber for 20 minutes. It was unbearable to listen to.

A bit like someone repeatedly referring to a fighter as "ball bag" in the vain hope that it may eventually gain some comedic value?

No comedy intended.  He's a clown and a ballbag.  Have said it maybe 3 times but on the back of your post will continue with it.

why should I care.........

Cleverly is being a bit indigenious when he says he has fought three top ten opponents. Only Kovalev was a top ten at the time he fought him I believe, though I may be doing Murat a dis-service there. Either way, three top ten fighters in the last 8 (giving him the benefit of the doubt) is still pretty soft defences and he needs to wisen up to this if he wants to move on. I hope he doesn't retire as he can still be in the mix; just not be the best.