Calzaghe: Speed Kills, Cleverly By Decision or TKO

By Edward Chaykovsky

Hall of Famer Joe Calzaghe is picking his close friend, Nathan Cleverly (28-1, 14KOs) to come out on top over Tony Bellew (22-2-1, 14KOs) this coming Saturday night at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.

They fought back in 2011, when Cleverly won a close twelve round majority decision to retain his WBO light heavyweight title. Now they face each other 25-pounds north, in a WBO cruiserweight championship eliminator. The winner will move a step closer to facing WBO champion Marco Huck and the loser's career is going to take a serious hit.

"He won the first fight even though he wasn’t at his best. Obviously a few years down the line, this is make-or-break for both fighters so there’s tremendous pressure on both. Away from home, maybe Nathan will feed off that atmosphere. It’s all about speed - speed kills. Nathan needs to use his speed and his work rate and his boxing skill. If he does what he should do, he wins the fight," Calzaghe told Sky Sports.

"To stay relaxed, keep the distance with footwork and feints. Try and take the sting out of Bellew. It's a 12-round fight and Nathan has the fitness and the speed. Use that speed and movement. I think in the second half of the fight, he will push him back.

"He won the first fight, let's not forget that. They're both coming off defeats for world titles, it's a new weight and it's really intriguing. I can't wait to watch it and to be there. I'm looking forward to seeing Nathan shine. I think Nathan wins on points or late stoppage."