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Former World Champion
Cleverly
To Face Big-Hitting Makabu
Former WBO light-heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly has
replaced Pawel Kolodziej as an opponent for big-hitting
cruiserweight Junior Makabu on the undercard of Gennady
Golovkin’s championship fight at the Monte Carlo Boxing
Bonanza on February 1, 2014.
The tournament is presented by Africa’s promotional giant,
Golden Gloves of South Africa.
Cleverly (26-1, 12 KOs) stepped in after Kolodziej had
second thoughts about facing the brutal puncher from the
Democratic Republic of Congo.
The pair will meet in a 10-round non-title bout.
“I’m very happy about the change,” enthused Berman.
“Cleverly is a bigger name by far and has been in with
outstanding boxers. The UK has a great heritage of producing
top cruiserweights and Cleverly is another in this long
line. I expect the fight against Makabu will be explosive.”
Makabu (15-0, 14 KOs) is arguably the most devastating
puncher in the cruiserweight division with all but one of
his wins having come by knockout.
Having recently surrendered his WBO title, Cleverly has
decided to campaign at cruiserweight where he anticipates
more success after an outstanding reign in which he ran up
26 straight wins.
A former European, British and Commonwealth
light-heavyweight champion, the Welshman cleaned up in
Britain before capturing the interim WBO title against
Nabjib Mohammedi in 2010. He then beat Aleksy Kuziemski for
the WBO title outright in his next fight, in 2011.
Four successful title defences followed, the best of them a
stoppage defeat of Shawn Hawk in Los Angeles in 2012.
In Cleverly's most recent fight, he lost in four rounds to
undefeated Sergey Kovalev in Cardiff, Wales in August,
prompting his move up a division where he meets the
dangerous Makabu.
Cleverly is excited to get the opportunity to regain a world
title and end the year as world champion after losing his
WBO crown.
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