By Mel Ohlhoft
Promoter Frank Warren confirmed that WBO light heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly (22-0, 11KOs) was eager to rid himself of his domestic rival, Tony Bellew (16-0, 10KOs). Their date is set for October 15th in Liverpool. Bellew has been calling out Cleverly for several months.
The two boxers nearly came to blows at a press conference earlier this year. Warren saw the pairing as a natural grudge match. Cleverly made it more of a gamble by agreeing to defend his title in Bellew's backyard.
"When I asked Nathan about this fight, he said it was a fight he wanted to get it out of the way," Warren said. "It has been hanging around, a lot of things have been said and to prove to the point he said he would go into the other guy's back garden to show he can do it.
"Obviously Tony has other ideas about that. He fancies his chances and is the British and Commonwealth champion following in the footsteps of Nathan. We have got a big fight that is going be on and one that I am certainly looking forward to. I think there is going to be a lot of fireworks building up the fight and certainly on the night.