Echo Arena, Liverpool - In a highly anticipated rematch, Tony Bellew (23-2-1, 14KOs) won a twelve round split decision over Nathan Cleverly (28-2, 14KOs). The scores were 115-114 for Cleverly, 116-112 for Bellew and 115-113 for Bellew. The fight was sanctioned as a WBO cruiserweight title eliminator.

It was high drama from the star, with both boxers looking for big punches. Bellew was unloading with the harder shots, but at the same time his face was starting to mark up by the second. Cleverly was trying to find his range with the jab. Bellew was looking for the knockout with every punch.

The pace slowed down by the sixth and the round became much closer and tougher to score. It was Cleverly's movement and jabbing to Bellew's aggressive punching and activity. Cleverly was more accurate but it was Bellew who was more active.

Bellew seemed to hurt Cleverly at the end of the ninth and poured on the punches as he pinned Cleverly against the ropes. They were against those ropes for over a minute with Bellew trying to unload everything in his arsenal. Cleverly, at times, would attempt to counter when Bellew would stop throwing.

Bellew continued to pour on the punishment in the tenth, pinning Cleverly back against the ropes and unloading with everything that he had in his tank but Cleverly stood up to it and lasted until the bell. At the start of the eleventh, Bellew went right back to work, getting Cleverly against the ropes and letting his hands go. Cleverly was very tired and barely threw back a single counter.

Cleverly was once again being battered in the twelfth round and looked exhausted, but Bellew was unable to finish him off. 

They first faced off in 2011 as light heavyweights, also in Liverpool, with Cleverly winning a twelve round majority decision to retain his WBO championship. Both fighters suffered knockout defeats in 2013 and moved up to cruiser.