The wait is almost over! Five years after their first scheduled contest Juergen Braehmer (48-2, 35 KOs) and Nathan Cleverly (29-3, 15 KOs) will finally meet in a World title fight on Saturday night at the Jahnsportforum in Neubrandenburg.
WBA World Champion Braehmer returns to happy hunting ground as he looks to secure his seventh successive title defence by defeating his long-standing rival.
The German veteran captured the WBA strap against Marcus Oliveira at the Jahnsportforum in 2013, and successfully defended the belt with a shutout points victory over domestic rival Eduard Gutknecht in March this year.
‘’This is a special fight for me,’’ said Braehmer at today’s final press conference. ‘’It’s a fight I’ve wanted for a long time, and a fight the fans are excited to see. I will enter the ring, as I always do, with just one goal in my mind - to win, no matter what, and with the support of crowd in Neubrandenburg, I know I will.’’
The challenger, Cleverly, believes timing is on his side, as the former WBO Champion aims to wrestle the belt from the 37 year-old Braehmer, and begin his second World title reign.
‘’It’s great that this fight is finally happening,’’ said Cleverly. ‘’It’s been five years in the making, and finally Braehmer is stepping up to the plate.
‘’It’s a going to be a difficult fight for me, but it has come at the wrong time for him. He’s 37 years old and reaching the end of his career, and I’m 29 and just hitting my peak. Juergen is a great fighter, but he’s not ready for what I’m bringing. I want this too much and I will be bringing the belt home with me.’’
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The WBA World Light Heavyweight contest between Juergen Braehmer and Nathan Cleverly will be shown live on SAT.1 in Germany and Sky Sports in the UK.