Last night at Liverpool’s Echo Arena, Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing presented a memorable event headlined by the heated grudge match between cruiserweights Tony Bellew and Nathan Cleverly. The match was a near pick ’em fight, as both men had fought before and the feelings between the two and their diverging backgrounds had the British crowd pretty much an even split at the books. Though the rest of the card featured a lot of British talent on the rise, most were in ‘crush’ matches that were not competitive and the massive lines at the books reflected that.
Bellew and Cleverly lived up to expectations, as both men came out slugging. The energy output slowed a bit towards the end as both men tired from fighting. Cleverly was able to log some rounds early, and as the fight wore on, it did appear to be Bellew who had more left in the tank. Bellew went all in trying to get Cleverly out of there in the 9th and 10th rounds, but he was unable to do so. Cleverly rarely threw a punch in the last couple of rounds, as he was totally exhausted. In the end, Bellew won a split decisino nod, and there will inevtiably be talk of a third match between the two.
Super Bantamweight Scott Quigg won his match over out-classed Hidenori Otaki. More than anything, this match was a tune-up as Quigg is expected to face Carl Frampton early next year in an all-englishmen bout for the top spot in the weight class.
Heavyweight sensation Anthony Joshua erased tough veteran Michael Sprott in less than 90 seconds. Sprott is a fighter with a long and credible resume, but the fact is that he is coming off losses and his best days are clearly behind him. Joshua is now (10-0) but aside form a payday, this match benefited his in ring trajectory not at all.
James DeGale continued his quest to earn a shot at Carl Froch by taking out Marco Antonio Periban in three rounds. The result sends the message that DeGale wanted, but the referee stoppage was a tad early for the taste of many people. Nevertheless, DeGale, who has an Olympic Gold Medal on his resume, seems to be improving with every outing. We will see if Froch signs for the mandatory defense against DeGale or if he vacates the belt.
Catch this post-fight interview from former World Champion Nathan Cleverly:
