By Edward Chaykovsky

According to Vince Cleverly, the father and trainer of WBO light heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly, his son is still training for a fight on November 10th at Staples Center in Los Angeles. He was going to face Ryan Coyne, but the fight fell apart after Coyne became involved in a legal battle with promoter Don King.

As BoxingScene.com first reported last week, the WBO will refuse to sanction Cleverly's next fight - unless his faces a ranked contender in the top 15. Because the date is only two weeks away, the chances are slim that a ranked opponent will step in.

If no ranked contender steps in, Cleverly will be forced to take part in a ten round non-title fight, and then he has to face his mandatory challenger Robin Krasniqi.

"Nathan's promoter, Frank Warren, is in negotiations with a couple of other fighters but I don't know who as yet. As far as the WBO are concerned, Nathan should be fighting a guy from the top 15 of their rankings for it to be recognized as a world title fight," Cleverly Sr. told BBC Sport.

"I think that can be arranged but if not, at the worst, it will be a 10-round non-title fight. The WBO's number one contender is Krasniqi but whether he will be ready is doubtful. The WBO are saying it is about time Nathan fought the mandatory challenger.

"And the WBO have said that if Nathan wins this fight on 10 November, which I think he will, his promoter must open negotiations with the Krasniqi camp within 30 days. But I also understand that if Nathan can get a unification showdown after this next fight, that would be sufficient for the WBO."

Tags: Frank Warren , Nathan Cleverly