By Chris LaBate
Former champion Joe Calzaghe is backing fellow Welsh boxer Nathan Cleverly to accomplish great things in the sport. Calzaghe is confident that Cleverly has what it takes to become a world champion. He gets his chance on May 21 when he face WBO light heavyweight champion Juergen Braehmer. The two boxer had previously sparred in the past when Cleverly was a young prospect being groomed by Joe's father, Enzo Calzaghe. Cleverly also appeared on Calzaghe’s undercards six times but now it’s his big chance to shine as he headlines the big show at the O2 Arena.
“He’s definitely something special and I really can’t wait for him to fulfil his destiny and win this title,” said Calzaghe to Wales Online. “He’s an exceptional talent and you can see how grounded he is. I’m so confident in what he’s going to do. I think he’s had enough experience to take out Juergen Braehmer. He has got such great experience to have sparred with me from a young age and to have been around the likes of Enzo Maccarinelli, Bradley Pryce and Gavin Rees.”
“We had hundreds of rounds of sparring, world class sparring. He has been there and fought on a big stage, like Las Vegas and the Millennium Stadium so he knows what that atmosphere is like. He is centre stage now and needs to step up but I believe he can."