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Cleverly ready to call on calzaghe
CLEVERLY READY TO CALL ON CALZAGHE
Unbeaten Welsh light-heavyweight Nathan Cleverly is hoping to tempt his friend and former gym-mate Joe Calzaghe to lace the gloves back on ahead of his WBO title fight in two months' time.
Cleverly's promoter Frank Warren has confirmed the Cefn Fforest man, who currently holds the interim version of the title, will fight champion Jurgen Braehmer for the full belt, with April 2 the most likely date.
While Calzaghe has resisted all talk of a comeback, he has already been out running with Cleverly and has hinted he may be willing to engage in sparring sessions to help out in the build-up to Cleverly's big night.
Cleverly said: "Joe rolled back the years and got the buzz back. It was good for me as well because when I used to train with Joe it's what we used to do and it was good to recapture those times.
"It (sparring) would be nice. Joe's touched on it because he's a southpaw like Braehmer, so hopefully he'll get the training gear out. If I really wanted him to I think he'd come down and help."
Mathematics graduate Cleverly won the interim version of the title in December when the status of the full title was still far from clear because Braehmer was involved in a court case that could have seen him stripped.
Cleverly insists beating Braehmer is his favoured option.
"There was talk he might be stripped or vacate the title, but I never wanted that to happen," said Cleverly. "The only way I would consider myself a true champion is to take the belt from him.
"You only have to take a look at Braehmer's record to realise just how dangerous he will be. He's a genuine champion and a genuine talent, but I think I have enough in my armoury to beat him."
The fight will take place in Britain, and Warren added: "I'm delighted that I've been able to secure home advantage for Nathan. He's worked incredibly hard for this opportunity and waited patiently to get his shot."
Meanwhile the undercard is set to feature an intriguing showdown between European lightweight champion John Murray and Kevin Mitchell, who has moved up in weight after a failed world super-featherweight title bid against Michael Katsidis.
Warren said: "Kevin wants to fight for a world title as does John. So let's get it on with the winner getting a world title shot. They're not babies, they've had 60 fights between them so that's what the fans want to see."
http://www.sportinglife.com/boxing/n...d.html&BID=543
Unbeaten Welsh light-heavyweight Nathan Cleverly is hoping to tempt his friend and former gym-mate Joe Calzaghe to lace the gloves back on ahead of his WBO title fight in two months' time.
Cleverly's promoter Frank Warren has confirmed the Cefn Fforest man, who currently holds the interim version of the title, will fight champion Jurgen Braehmer for the full belt, with April 2 the most likely date.
While Calzaghe has resisted all talk of a comeback, he has already been out running with Cleverly and has hinted he may be willing to engage in sparring sessions to help out in the build-up to Cleverly's big night.
Cleverly said: "Joe rolled back the years and got the buzz back. It was good for me as well because when I used to train with Joe it's what we used to do and it was good to recapture those times.
"It (sparring) would be nice. Joe's touched on it because he's a southpaw like Braehmer, so hopefully he'll get the training gear out. If I really wanted him to I think he'd come down and help."
Mathematics graduate Cleverly won the interim version of the title in December when the status of the full title was still far from clear because Braehmer was involved in a court case that could have seen him stripped.
Cleverly insists beating Braehmer is his favoured option.
"There was talk he might be stripped or vacate the title, but I never wanted that to happen," said Cleverly. "The only way I would consider myself a true champion is to take the belt from him.
"You only have to take a look at Braehmer's record to realise just how dangerous he will be. He's a genuine champion and a genuine talent, but I think I have enough in my armoury to beat him."
The fight will take place in Britain, and Warren added: "I'm delighted that I've been able to secure home advantage for Nathan. He's worked incredibly hard for this opportunity and waited patiently to get his shot."
Meanwhile the undercard is set to feature an intriguing showdown between European lightweight champion John Murray and Kevin Mitchell, who has moved up in weight after a failed world super-featherweight title bid against Michael Katsidis.
Warren said: "Kevin wants to fight for a world title as does John. So let's get it on with the winner getting a world title shot. They're not babies, they've had 60 fights between them so that's what the fans want to see."
http://www.sportinglife.com/boxing/n...d.html&BID=543
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