Boxing Betting / Paul Moon / 16 July 2009 / Leave a comment

Paul Moon travels to the Rhymney Valley in South Wales to meet Nathan Cleverly - the man with his eyes on becoming the next Welsh World Champion boxer.

Nathan Cleverly is expected to swell the feel good factor when he fights Danny McIntosh for the British and Commonwealth light heavyweight title.

But Cleverly is already looking beyond Saturday's fight in London. Once he claims the British title he will set his sights on competing for the world title within the next two years. This might mean setting aside the most important prize in British professional boxing - the Lonsdale belt - but Nathan tells me that a world title shot would be impossible to turn down.

Having spent some time in the last couple of weeks with the articulate Maths student (he graduates next year) I am positive he is the most exciting prospect in Britain since Joe Calzaghe. He has added power to his technical ability while his speed and sharpness remain unparalleled. His last three opponents have lasted just six rounds in total.

Every piece of training has gone exactly to plan and Cleverly is in the best condition of his life. Nothing has been left to chance and all eventualities have been covered. His personalised training with Alan Davies and his astute father Vince is clearly paying dividends.

Getting stronger by the day, he will have too much ammunition and class for his one-dimensional opponent. The fight is live on ITV 4 and latest Betfair show: McIntosh [4.7] Cleverly [1.21] Draw [36.0].

Since gaining the Commonwealth Light-heavyweight championship he has matured immeasurably. With his confidence at an all time high and his more professional demeanour he has catapulted to sixth in the latest June WBO light heavyweight ratings.

Looking at those ranked above him we find Kazakhstani boxer Beibut Shumenov. With only eight fights and six knockouts he appears to be smart and dangerous, he could go all the way. Although relatively inexperienced he easily despatched Montell Griffin to retain his regional WBC and WBO titles and is probably the biggest threat to Cleverly.

Durable Jamaican Glenn Johnson has now suffered 12 defeats and although he remains one of boxing's most feared men with his insane will to win you wonder how many fights he has left.

Alesky Kuziemski from Poland is unbeaten after 17 fights and looks good but does not look a future champion while Roy Jones Jnr has surely gone after losing half of his last eight matches. No one is sure if Bernard Hopkins will box again.

The current WBO light heavyweight champion is cheat Zsolt Erdei of Hungary. He cannot beat the top contenders and cowardly prefers to beat either non-Americans or lower level opponents in Germany. There have been many complaints about his schedule and clearly he is vulnerable.

Perhaps the only problem for Cleverly is that of quality sparring partners. Will he have to base himself in the United States prior to a world title fight? It's too early to say but one thing is for sure - this is going to be a very exciting year for Wales' brightest boxing prospect.