Nathan Cleverly and Karo Murat fight could be a coin toss
Now that he’s obtained his mathematics degree from Cardiff University, boxer Nathan Cleverly can put all his energy into the sport he’s been indebted to for years. On Saturday at the LG Arena in Birmingham
he takes on undefeated Bavarian slugger Karo Murat in a WBO light-heavyweight eliminator bout.
Combined, the two fighters have 41 wins and no defeats. That will have to change.
A win would put Cleverly in position for Juergen Braehmer’s WBO belt, though the German is currently caught up appealing a 16-month prison term.
Cleverly recently said: “The situation with Braehmer hasn’t really crossed my mind, and I’m not going into the [Murat] fight with the mindset that it could ultimately be for the world title. Murat is
just another fighter and the most important thing is getting the win.”
He continued: “Every fight for me is like a world title fight and I have to take Murat as if he’s another opponent in my way of trying to reach my goal of becoming world champion.”
Cleverly, who was unremarkable in the early stages of his career, has been able to rally win after win and with it his knowledge and skills have improved significantly. He’s learned to time and pick his
shots, as well as roll with punches and remain patient. Beating the likes of Toney Oakey, Danny McIntosh and Antonio Brancalion, he’s claimed British, Commonwealth and European light-heavyweight titles.
At 22-0 (13 KOs), Murat moved up to light heavyweight last year and has already had three respectable wins in the class. He’s a former European champion at super middleweight. Murat is known to be the
aggressor, with a high-held defense and a knack for throwing punches in hard clusters as oppose to sustained blows. Though sometimes he appears predictable, he has routinely found ways to exploit his opponents and finally win, which is something Cleverly
is going to have to look out for.
In terms of attributes Cleverly seems to top the two, with height and reach advantage. Speed and work rate may also be in his favour. He should be able to dominate if he can maintain a face pace, but
obviously this is easier said than done.
The concern for Cleverly will be watching out for being backed up and being hit with shots that could shake him up. The boxing world hasn’t seen him critically tested, so his ability to take a punch is
still up in the air. As well, as the pace-setter in his fights, he hasn’t been in a situation where he has to hold on for dear life. Murat should be about to start to answer these questions, as he possesses the technical skills and strength to take on the
best in his division.
If Cleverly outpoints Murat in most assets Murat has the ruddiness and tested chin to carry on the fight and explore other options to victory. He will look to pounce on Cleverly if he senses he has hurt
him.
When asked recently how he felt about the fight, Cleverly said: "I’m feeling good and I’m happy with my training. I’ve got no other stresses on my mind with university out of the way. Mentally, I’m really
positive. I just want to get in the ring now.”
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