British Scene Weekend Recap: Cleverly Stops Fry

Matt Chudley recaps the British light-heavyweight title match-up between Nathan Cleverly and Courtney Fry.

Nathan Cleverly booked a December 5th European Title showdown with Antonio Brancalion with an impressive stoppage win over Courtney Fry at the York Hall on Friday. Facing his most technically sound opponent to date, Cleverly showed a maturity beyond his years in patiently picking the cagey boxer from Liverpool apart, before forcing a stoppage with a barrage of right hands in the 8th.

The 22 year old from Wales came out looking to attack the body in the first, while his rangy and awkward foe looked to load up with uppercuts. Fry came close on a few occasions, but it was Cleverly’s body shots and work rate that were the pick of the early action.

With long arms and a sturdy jab, Fry looked to hold in close while trying to keep the contest within his comfort zone with long range exchanges, but after Clevelry landed a lead right hand in the 3rd, the challenger was forced to hold on for survival purposes.

Having survived the 3rd round scare, Fry settled back into his rhythm, and it was Cleverly who next found himself in trouble. Dropping his hands in a momentary lapse of concentration, the Welshman was caught early in the 5th by a long looping left hook, and a follow up right hand. Both landed flush, and had Fry been a more concussive puncher, an upset might have been on the cards. Instead Cleverly gave Fry a smile and a nod and went back to work, catching Fry with an impressive uppercut later in the round.

After exchanging solid left hooks in the 6th, it appeared to be Cleverly who was slowing down, and in the 7th the momentum seemed poised to swing towards the 34 year old challenger. In the 8th though, Cleverly reasserted himself, staggering Fry with a big right hand, before laying into the former Olympian with an onslaught of rights. Cleverly quickly pushed off, stepping back to avoid smothering his work and giving the challenger no opportunity to recover, leaving Fry helpless to avoid further punishment along the ropes.

At this point, Victor Loughlin stepped in to end the bout, only to find himself on the canvas as the unsteady Fry collapsed on the man in charge. The time was 2:52 of round 8.

Cleverly still seems to be improving at an impressive rate but might be better off joining forces with an experienced trainer once he completes University next summer and leave the makeshift team of father Vince and Sports Network matchmaker turned trainer Dean Powell.

Though he may be advanced in age, Fry did show enough to suggest that he could capture a Lonsdale belt once Cleverly has moved on.

On the undercard...

2008 Beijing Olympian Billy Joe Saunders was given the toughest test of his fledgling pro career by tough Latvian Alex Spitko. Saunders was extended the distance for the first time in a scrapy four rounder with the Mansfield based journeyman showing real grit and pushing Saunders hard.

Returning from a four month ban, Derek Chisora completed the formalities with a 3rd round stoppage of 12-6 Georgian no-hoper Zurab Noniashvili. After the first round, the Georgian heavy seemed disinterested and almost baying for the canvas. Chisora may have gained little from the fight but could soon find himself competing against Audley Harrison for the British title vacated by Danny Williams.

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British Scene: Nathan Cleverly vs Courtney Fry Preview

Matt Chudley previews Friday's Sky sports show featuring Nathan Cleverly against Courtney Fry.

Photo © Justin McKie

This Friday night at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, Nathan Cleverly (pictured right against Danny McIntosh) defends both his British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight titles against 2000 Sydney Olympian, Courtney Fry. Though tipped as heavy underdog, Fry will be the most skilled opponent Cleverly has faced to date, and should provide a good gauge to evaluate the development of one of Britain’s brightest prospects.

This will be the first defense of the Lonsdale belt for Cleverly, having claimed the British title back in July with an exciting one sided victory over previously unbeaten Danny McIntosh. Along with having 2 belts on the line, a European title shot is also at stake for the fast rising star, as he’s been promised a chance to compete for the vacant European crown on the under-card of Amir Khan’s WBA title defense in Newcastle later this year.

Now 17-0, the young Welshman enters the bout ranked by all four major sanctioning bodies, and is ranked in the top 10 by the IBF and WBO. Tall at almost 6’4, with fast hands and cultured boxing skills, Cleverly’s recent performances have offered little opportunity for criticism. It must be said though, that having faced a lack of quality opponents on the domestic scene, his chin and big fight temperament have yet to be tested.

With five of his thirteen wins coming inside the scheduled distance against even more modest opposition, the 13-2 Courtney Fry likely doesn’t have the power to ask questions of Cleverly's chin. However, the highly decorated amateur, with many more years in the sport, may possess the skills to frustrate the young fighter and will likely present him with problems he hasn't encountered before.

Traditionally the biggest weapon to offset the speed of a quick opponent has been the jab and the 34 year old scouser has an educated and effective one which helped him to gain a berth as one of only two British competitors in the 2000 Olympics as well as a silver medal at the European Championships and Gold in the Commonwealth games.

A late start to the pros combined with injuries and promotional issues have seen Fry unable to recapture the same form in the paid ranks and a 2005 loss to upset specialist Ovil McKenzie almost saw him quit the sport for good. Fry did rekindle his career with a solid win over unbeaten Nigerian prospect Tony Salam and looked ready to make a run at the British title under Frank Maloney but then opted to enter the light heavyweight edition of Prizefighter.

Though the Prizefighter competition style is not all that dissimilar to the amateur game, Fry had become a notorious slow starter in the pros and was outworked in the semis by Tony Oakey and once again found himself at a loose end. Backed into the same corner as Olympic team-mate Audley Harrison was last week, Fry will need a special performance Friday night to give his career a much needed boost.

On the undercard...

Derek Chisora will be returning to the ring after serving a four month ban for biting the ear of journeyman Paul Butlin back in May. Tyson Fury's main verbal sparring partner, the 10-0 Chisora could find himself in the picture to face Audley Harrison for the vacant British title with an impressive win over 12-6-1 Georgian Zurab Noniashvili.

2008 Olympian Billy Joe Saunders will also be back out, going against 6-15 Latvian trial horse Alex Spitko. View by many as the best pro prospect of the UK Olympians, the 20 year from Hertfordshire will be looking to make it four stoppage wins from four in his first appearance at the storied York Hall.

Also appearing will be the three Walsh brothers Michael, Ryan and Liam. Former ABA champ Michael and younger twins Ryan and Liam bring a large following from East Anglia and will be looking to add to the unbeaten records against limited opposition.

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Photo Gallery: Nathan Cleverly vs Danny McIntosh

The past Saturday night at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, Nathan Cleverly and Danny McIntosh slugged it out for the vacant British light-heavyweight title. Also at stake was Cleverly's Commonwealth crown.

Photographer Justin McKie was ringside to capture all the hard hitting action.

Nathan Cleverly vs Danny McIntosh

Photos © Justin McKie - Click on the images to enlarge. A confident looking Danny McIntosh raises his arms to acknowledge the crowd before the start of the contest. The 29 year old light-heavyweight from Norwich brought a perfect 10-0 record into the ring. Young Welshman Nathan Cleverly slips a jab in the early going. The highly regarded 22 year old Commonwealth champion came in looking to add the vacant British title to his growing list of accomplishments. The opening 3 minutes featured a number of heavy exchanges, as both fighters came out with an aggressive mindset. The champion didn't back down from the challenger's aggressive start and his commitment to working the body set the tone early. He hurt McIntosh with a combination to the midsection late in the second - and a follow up barrage sent the underdog to the canvas. Having not fully recovered from the first knockdown, McIntosh was put down again by a right to the chin. With the challenger flat on his back, it looked for a couple moments like the fight might be over very early, but the resilient McIntosh surprised everyone by launching himself to his feet in one swift motion. Still feeling the effects of the final moments of round 2, McIntosh was sent down yet again early in the 3rd round. In a gutsy display, McIntosh managed to get himself back in the fight over the next couple rounds, but was still getting the worst of the exchanges. Down big on the cards, McIntosh kept throwing, and connected with his share of punches. Here he catches the champion with a crunching right hand. Fighting in an aggressive but controlled manner, Cleverly continued to land the cleaner, harder punches. Here he catches McIntosh with a hard right hand to the side of the jaw. Early in round 7, a right hand behind the ear from Cleverly sent McIntosh down for the fourth time in the fight. Upon rising, the game challenger had little left to offer and after a follow-up flurry had him in more trouble, referee John Foster stepped in to end it. Still the Commonwealth champion, and now holder of the Lonsdale belt, Nathan Cleverly now a perfect 17-0 celebrates his empathic win.

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British Scene: Cleverly Stops McIntosh

It was a very busy weekend in British boxing, and while most of the attention was focused on Amir Khan's winning effort, the most impressive performance by a British fighter may just have been the one put forth by Nathan Cleverly at the York Hall.

Photos © Justin McKie

Matt Chudley has the recap.

Check out Dave Oakes' round by round coverage of the Khan vs Kotelnik show.

Saturday, July 18 Cleverly Stops McIntosh; Thaxton Upset by Glover By Matt Chudley Nathan Cleverly impressively added the British Light-heavyweight title to his Commonwealth belt in crushing the game but overmatched Danny McIntosh over seven rounds at the York Hall on Saturday. The older and physically stronger McIntosh was successful in goading and baiting the highly skilled Welshman into a scrappy brawl with his posturing but Cleverly's ever improving power and accuracy proved too much for the tough Norwich fighter. Aware of McIntosh’s strength and athleticism and also his technical deficiencies, Cleverly targeted his opponent’s midsection from the start. After being warned for straying a little too low in the opening round, the strategy paid dividends in the 2nd, when a crisp left hook to the body immobilized McIntosh, who was then dropped by a follow-up right hand. Still winded, McIntosh touched down again moments later after being caught with another right hand while backing away with his hands down and chin exposed. In act of bravado, he flipped back up onto his feet, but his continued attempts at machismo left Cleverly intent on proving his own mettle and unwilling to accept that McIntosh might be the grittier fighter. McIntosh was down from another right in the 3rd but still appeared relatively clear headed and beckoned the younger fighter in again. Fighting his opponents fight and now exchanging verbal jibes in the clinch, Cleverly was now visibly tiring but still producing the better work. Facing an insurmountable deficit on the cards, McIntosh began to fight with his hands down by his waist in an attempt to draw Cleverly in and catch him with a big punch. It was a gamble worth taking, but one that didn't pay off as Cleverly landed a right hand behind the ear that sent McIntosh down again in the 7th. On this occasion, McIntosh was slow and hesitant to rise, and referee Howard Foster took a long look at the man from East Anglia before letting the bout continue. Cleverly was quick to pounce with a flurry of unanswered punches, giving Foster little choice but to jump in and stop the fight. Next on the agenda for Cleverly while he looks to get in line for a European title fight or World title eliminator is likely to be a rematch with crowd pleaser Tony Oakey or possibly a dual title defense against former Olympian Courtney Fry. Damien Francis is another possibility if he returns to the 175lb division. On the under-card... In a big upset, Jonathan Thaxton was narrowly out-pointed by bricklayer Tom Glover. Referee Ken Curtis, the sole arbiter for the 8 round contest, called it 77-76 for Glover with the difference being a point deduction against Thaxton in the 7th round for persistent holding. Enjoying a 5 pound weight advantage, Glover used his size to full advantage as he managed to out-muscle the somewhat lackluster Thaxton in overcoming the former European lightweight champion's more polished skills. The underdog from Maldon gave early warning it would be a tough night for his more renowned opponent by landing a number of clean shots in the second round. With the win, Glover improved his record to 9-5, and after previous upsets over the 22-1 Nadeem Siddique and the 14-2 Chas Symonds, has now earned himself an English welterweight title challenge against Adnan Amar in October. Having lost to a welterweight, it remains uncertain as to whether Thaxton will be given the opportunity to fight for the vacant British lightweight title against John Murray later this year. Also in action, an out of shape Tyson Fury punished a woeful and fleshy Aleksandrs Selezens (3-6) for three rounds before Selezens corner threw in the towel to stop the one sided contest. With the win, Fury extends his perfect record to 7-0 with all victories coming early. After letting himself go, Fury will now have to prepare for the toughest test of his career so far in September when he takes on John McDermott for the English Heavyweight title. e-mail Matt Chudley

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British Scene: Nathan Cleverly vs Danny McIntosh Preview

This Saturday at the York Hall, rising unbeaten prospects Danny McIntosh (pictured landing a right hand on the jaw of Steven Spartacus, photo © Justin McKie) and Nathan Cleverly clash for the vacant British light-heavyweight title. On the line as well will be Cleverly's Commonwealth title belt.

The under-card features former European lightweight champ Jonathan Thaxton taking on tough Essex fighter Tom Glover. Tyson Fury is also scheduled on the show, although an opponent for the young heavyweight has yet to be named.

Matt Chudley has the preview.

Make sure to check out Matt's recap of the show on Monday.

Saturday, July 18 Nathan Cleverly vs Danny McIntosh (ITV4) By Matt Chudley Unbeaten light-heavyweights Nathan Cleverly (16-0) and Danny McIntosh (10-0) headline this Saturday night's show at the York Hall. Cleverly will be putting the Commonwealth title that he won from Tony Oakey last October on the line for the 4th time, while the vacant British crown will also be up for grabs. While both fighters hold low hold knock-out ratios, both have come into their own recently and responded to a higher level of competition with more conclusive victories. McIntosh's last four fights have all ended early, including a picture perfect one punch KO of Rod Anderton on the undercard to Froch-Pascal. Fighting out of South Wales and a former Enzo Calzaghe pupil, the 22 year old Cleverly has shown great improvement over his last five fights and has began to sit down on his punches more. A Mathematics graduate from Cardiff University, he has also shown a large amount of ring savy in capitalizing on his skill set and impressive height at nearly 6'4. Proving to be one of the brighter prospects in the UK, Cleverly is heavily favoured to claim the coveted Lonsdale belt. Danny McIntosh - the house fighter after promoter Mick Hennessy won the purse bids - got a late start to the pro game at the age of 25. He's made up for lost time by moving through the pro-ranks quickly, establishing himself as a British title contender after only 8 fights by capturing the English title with a stoppage win over local rival Steven Spartacus in a heated contest last October. Against Cleverly, he finds himself as the underdog for the first time out and will undoubtedly need to show more than he has to date in order to overcome the slick accurate work of his taller and arguably faster opponent. On the under-card… Jonathan Thaxton (pictured against Juan Carlos Diaz Melero, photo © Justin McKie) takes on Tom Glover in his return to action for the first time since losing his European title to Anthony Mezaache back in February. Now 34 and having engaged in many memorable all out wars with the likes of Ricky Hatton and Eamonn Magee, Thaxton will be looking to stay sharp of a possible clash with John Murray for the vacant British Title this autumn. Glover is on a 3 bout winning streak, having scored narrow points victories over Scott Wolford, Chas Symonds and claiming a DQ win over Nadeem Siddique in his last outing a little over a month ago. Given the styles of the two men, this could very well be the most entertaining of the night’s contests. Heavyweight prospect Tyson Fury also gets another outing against a short notice opponent. With an English title showdown with John McDermott in the works, Fury will be looking to continue his impressive knock out streak and unleash some more headline grabbing sound bytes. e-mail Matt Chudley

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British Scene: Cleverly, Barker and Fury Score Stoppages

It was a busy weekend in British boxing with both Sky and ITV featuring Commonwealth title contests.

On Friday, Nathan Cleverly defended his light-heavyweight belt against Billy Boyle, while on Saturday Darren Barker (pictured right) put his middleweight crown on the line against Darren McDermott.

Dave Oakes and Matt Chudley have all the details

Photos © Justin McKie

Check out the previews of both shows: Barker vs McDermott & Cleverly vs Boyle

Friday May 22 Cleverly Stops Boyle in Two By Dave Oakes Nathan Cleverly retained his Commonwealth light-heavy title on Friday night after stopping the tough but limited Billy Boyle in two one-sided rounds at the York Hall, Bethnal Green. Cleverly controlled the fight from start to finish with the much shorter Boyle unable to land a single punch of note. The fight soon settled into a pattern of Boyle trying to close the range and Cleverly hitting him with sharp jabs and straight rights before moving out of range. After a one-sided battering in the first round, you knew that Boyle was in for a hard night’s work. The ending still came earlier than most expected though, when Cleverly trapped Boyle on the ropes and began to hammer home some heavy looking punches towards the end of the second round, Boyles trainer, Glyn Rhodes, jumped in to safe his fighter from taking any more punishment. Rhodes complained bitterly about the fight being stopped, but in truth, it saved him from taking a sustained beating. The end would’ve come within the next two rounds anyway. Cleverly is scheduled to fight Danny McIntosh on July 18th for the vacant British title in what should be a much more competitive fight. On the undercard… Kevin Mitchell needed just three rounds to stop late substitute Lanquaye Wilson. Mitchell struggled to find his rhythm in the first two rounds and was looking rusty after nearly a year out due to a hand injury. He was just starting to find his feet in the third round when the referee, Dave Parris, prematurely stopped the bout with Wilson still on his feet and not looking in trouble. Mitchell had landed a couple of heavy shots but the Ghanaian had taken them well enough and in my opinion, should’ve been allowed to continue. Heavyweight prospect Derek Chisora got away with chewing on Paul Butlin’s ear to take a wide points decision to keep his unbeaten record. The controversy came in the fifth round when Chisora was tied up against the ropes with Butlin resting his head on his chest. He decided this was the perfect opportunity to have a munch on Butlin’s ear and stooped low to emulate the Mike Tyson incident of yesteryear. It was a moment of madness and one he was very lucky to get away with, he can consider himself very fortunate that the referee was unable to see it. The incident took the shine of what had been a good performance up until that point. Chisora went on win 79-72 on the referee’s scorecard but major questions have got to be asked about whether or not he’s got the temperament required to succeed against higher level opponents. e-mail Dave Oakes

Saturday, May 23 Barker and Fury Score Stoppage Victories By Matt Chudley Darren Barker impressively stopped English champion Darren McDermott this past Saturday night at the Watford Coliseum to retain his commonwealth title and set up a marquee fight with British champion Matthew Macklin. Though the eventual outcome appeared in little doubt, the ending to the fight saw referee Dave Paris at the centre of controversy once again. After Paris's contentious handling of the climax to the Martin Rogan-Sam Sexton fight last Friday, the referee angered many with his somewhat premature stoppage of McDermott. Outclassed, but still competitive, McDermott was not given a chance to continue after being put down in the fourth, despite not appearing to be seriously hurt. Before the bell it appeared that McDermott's physical attributes may cause some difficulties for the unbeaten North Londoner. From the outset though the undersized Barker used his movement and quick reactions to surprisingly out jab his larger opponent who possessed a significant height and reach advantages. By the third round, Barker had settled into a comfortable rhythm, and McDermott's lack of head movement was being punished consistently with 1-2 combinations and lead right hands. The challenger still fired back and appeared resolute, but much of his work was being caught by the arms and gloves of the champion. The end came at 2:30 of the fourth round. After catching McDermott's attention with a solid jab, Barker put the challenger down with a big right hand that landed on the side of the chin. Figuring that the fight was on its way to a predictable conclusion and that McDermott may have been shipping a few straight rights, Paris waved off the contest. With his career at stake in possibly his last big opportunity, the Black Country fighter understandably felt it was a quick call. With the fight doubling as a British title eliminator, Barker now finds himself in line for a shot at the all action Matthew Macklin after the latter's voluntary on the Khan-Kotelnik undercard. If promoters Frank Warren and Mick Hennessy are unable to agree terms the British boxing board of control will hold purse bids for the fight which is likely to take place in September or October. In an eagerly awaited co-feature, heavyweight sensation Tyson Fury (pictured left) moved into British title contention by impressively stopping fellow British Heavyweight hopeful Scott Belshaw. The wild and clumsy, but vicious swings of the Belfast fighter were way too crude to trouble the 20 year old Fury. The Cheshire youngster employed a cultured and much improved body attack to discourage and finish the previously 10-1 Belshaw at 0:52 of the second round. In a classy move, Fury opted not to pile on further damage to his winded opponent, who after being down twice in round one, was still standing but doubled over in pain from a left hook to the body at the end. On the undercard... Staying busy was Bermondsey-based middleweight Matthew Thirwall who stopped former sparring partner and good friend George Hillyard. Hillyard’s corner called it off in between the 4th and 5th rounds after a big left hook put their man down at the end of the round. Along with Coventry’s Steve Bendall, the 19-3 Thirwall is now a possible opponent for Matt Macklin on the 27th of June for his voluntary defense. e-mail Matt Chudley

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British Scene: Cleverly vs Boyle Preview

A busy week in British boxing continues tomorrow night with Welshman Nathan Cleverly's Commonwealth light-heavyweight title defense against Sheffield's Billy Boyle.

Sky Sports 1 will be televising the show and Dave Oakes has the preview.

Check out our recap of both UK shows from this weekend: Cleverly, Barker and Fury Score Stoppages

Friday May 22 Nathan Cleverly vs Billy Boyle (SKY) By Dave Oakes Nathan Cleverly makes the third defence of his Commonwealth light-heavyweight title this Friday against the inexperienced Billy Boyle at the York Hall, Bethnal Green, England. Cleverly is using this fight as a warm up for his British title fight with Danny McIntosh, which says a lot about how competitive this fight will be. Boyle comes into the fight with a respectable 12-1 record, which looks a lot better on paper than it really is. He’s only ever won against extremely low level opposition and the only time he’s faced a championship level fighter was when he was out-pointed by Tony Oakey in the Prizefighter competition earlier this year. He didn’t show much potential in that fight, and at 32 years of age, he’s not exactly at the start of the learning curve. Cleverly is at the other end of the scale; he’s young, talented and has shown real improvement over the past couple of years. He won the title against the only man to beat Boyle, when out-boxing and out-pointing Tony Oakey just over seven months ago. He’s had two routine defences since then, first stopping the decent Douglas Otieno in four rounds and last time out when he destroyed Samson Onyango in the first round after he levelled the challenger with an enormous right uppercut. Those two successful defences have shown that Cleverly’s punch power is improving, he looks like he’s planting his feet more firmly now than what he was at the beginning in his career. He’s still not a big puncher but he’s the type of fighter whose power gets the respect of his opponent early on and dissuades them from standing toe to toe with him. Cleverly is a fighter on the up and will be looking to use his massive height and reach advantages over Boyle. I think Cleverly will work behind his stiff jab and will look to get a few rounds under his belt before cranking up the pace and stopping Boyle around the 6th round. Kevin Mitchell takes on John Gicharu on the undercard in his first fight for the best part of a year. It should be a routine win for the Dagenham Destroyer as he attempts to shed ring rust before aiming for a world title shot against new WBO champion Roman Martinez later this year. e-mail Dave Oakes Check out Matt Chudley's preview of Darren Barker vs Darren McDermott

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