By John MacDonald
BoxingScene.com understands that the grudge match between Tony Bellew 22-2-1 (14 KOs) and Nathan Cleverly 28-1 (14 KOs) will be the main event of a show promoted by Matchroom Sport with November 29 at the Echo Arena, Liverpool appearing the most likely date and venue.
Three years on, the pair could be returning to the scene of their first battle where Cleverly held onto his WBO light heavyweight title via majority decision after 12 hard fought rounds. Afterwards the Welshman put his arm around Bellew appearing to indicate that the bad blood between them in the build-up had been resolved but in the period since the war of words has escalated once more.
Both men moved up to cruiserweight after losses to Sergey Kovalev and Adonis Stevenson respectively at light heavyweight. A rematch became inevitable when Cleverly parted company with Frank Warren and featured on a Matchroom show in May.
The bitter rivals co-headlined, the aptly named, “Collision Course” at the Echo Arena in July as the pair came face-to-face following Bellew’s fifth round stoppage victory over Julio Cesar Dos Santos, with only promoter Eddie Hearn managing to keep them apart.
Since then speculation as to a date and venue for the fight has been rife with the contest earmarked to provide chief-support to James DeGale on October 11 in London at one point but it has now been deemed a worthy main event in its own right.
