Finally Clev gets a great fight

[earsjohn]

Ha, had you fooled!

It's Nathan v Robin Krasniqi, the mandatory for his WB-ho-ho-ho belt, as just tweeted by Dean Powell.

It's a shitty uninteresting fight. Yes he's the mandatory, but with the filth served up as discretionary challengers during this laughable championship reign, one could certainly have hoped for more.

[Datsue]

Ha, had you fooled!

It's Nathan v Robin Krasniqi, the mandatory for his WB-ho-ho-ho belt, as just tweeted by Dean Powell.

It's a shitty uninteresting fight. Yes he's the mandatory, but with the filth served up as discretionary challengers during this laughable championship reign, one could certainly have hoped for more.

I guarantee you next year Clev will face his greatest challenge, a true legend with a veteran's poise, an impeccable record & a former true light-heavyweight champion of the world. Everyone will say "Yayz! Bernard Hopkins!"

The bloke Clev fights will, of course, be Billy Conn.

[observer1]

If it worked for calzaghe, why shouldn't it work for Nath?

[dondada]

The bloke Clev fights will, of course, be Billy Conn.

Conn W UD

[Lenny]

Never been stopped

[Cyclops]

If it worked for calzaghe, why shouldn't it work for Nath?

For anybody who doesn't know, Observer1 is obsessed with Joe Calzaghe and will crowbar a snide comment about him into a thread that has nothing to do with him.

[Datsue]

David Vedder is due another title shot.

David Vedder!

There's a name to conjure with! Make it happen, Fwank! Durable Yank, knows his trade, been in with some great fighters, & you'd get him cheaper than Conn.

What's not to like?

[Datsue]

^ Except of course, at the last minute he would drop out, & be replaced by Eddie Vedder of the band Pearl Jam.

[orbtastic]

If he fights anyone but this guy, he gets stripped. The WBO were quite clear about it t'other week.

They bore me.

[Datsue]

If he fights anyone but this guy, he gets stripped. The WBO were quite clear about it t'other week.

They bore me.

Thing is, he got the belt out of a packet of cornflakes in the end. I don't understand why it's that important to keep hold of the fvcking belt when you can get another vacant one fighting some other Euro numpty in a vacant title fight.

I suppose the handlers are fvck-shit-scared of losing to some numpty in said vacant title fight, so once they've got their shiny money-printer strapped around their waist they cling onto it like grim death.

S'all a touch unedifying though, innit?

[Ezzard]

If he was just defending the Euro belt…or fighting towards a world title nobody would mind too much. Be another learning fight towards world class.

I don’t have an issue with Nathan still finding his feet. Just the “world title” label…

[Lenny]

If he fights anyone but this guy, he gets stripped. The WBO were quite clear about it t'other week.

They bore me.

If only there was something FW could do to prevent the wrath of the mighty WBO

[the truth]

Booker word would be a good scalp haha

[forcefraser]

It`s a mandatory so Nathan has no choice. Plus it`s a real test for Cleverly, the guy he`s fighting has a record to ne reckoned with.

That`s three brutally tough opponents on the spin for the WBO champ.

[NazNaci1]

Shambolic reign, just getting worse. As nice a guy as Nathan is, the direction he is being allowed to be taken in is so predictable and pathetic, it does nothing, absolutely nothing, to dispel his 'Paper Champion' title.

No doubt Warren's spin will be along the lines of, 'Never been stopped, is a puncher and will give Nathan all he can handle', when in reality he is thinking,' Nathan will pick this guy apart, out work him and probably stop hm'. Thing is most boxing fans stopped buying into this s*** years ago.

[orbtastic]

If he fights anyone but this guy, he gets stripped. The WBO were quite clear about it t'other week.

They bore me.

Thing is, he got the belt out of a packet of cornflakes in the end. I don't understand why it's that important to keep hold of the fvcking belt when you can get another vacant one fighting some other Euro numpty in a vacant title fight.

I suppose the handlers are fvck-shit-scared of losing to some numpty in said vacant title fight, so once they've got their shiny money-printer strapped around their waist they cling onto it like grim death.

S'all a touch unedifying though, innit?

The whole thing is mutually agreeable.

The fight is an easier sell if Paco puts round a press release saying oh yes we will definitely strip our champion etc.

[Datsue]

Booker word would be a good scalp haha

I tell you what though, Booker always had a good right hand, I don't see why people would want Clev to get involved in such a high risk fight for little reward, I mean, it's not us taking the punches is it & the lad's got a limited time in the sport & you've got to realise that it's a business & sporting considerations have to be looked at in the light of that & how many world champions have you looked after?

All in all, although I respect that as fans we'd love to see Clev face off against the likes of Booker T. Word, we just have to accept that it's a risk/reward game & that hopefully he'll get around to fighting such big names at some point in the future.

My prediction is Cleverley W12 Booker T. Word, just in case anyone thinks I'm being sarcastic here.

[IronLiver]

I don't really follow clev but beating up Serbian milkmen, polish factory workers and middle aged skateboarders won't get you a decent p4p ranking

[earsjohn]

My problem is not so much that he is fighting Krasniqi (who, on paper at least, looks his toughest opponent since Karo Murat), but that in the build up and aftermath to the Shawn Hawk nonsense, we were fed the same tired old lines about it beaing a tune up as preparation for bigger tests ahead and that 2013 will bring the big unification fights that have been promised. Well, here we are again and its another nobody-fight.

The mandatory line is a smokescreen. If Nathan was to take on IBF Champ, Tavoris Cloud, for example, a title would be on the line. If Team Cleverly are confident in his ability to beat the best (and Cloud is no Archie Moore) then throwing away a paper title to fight for something a little more precious is surely worth the risk? As it is, Cloud gets his chance to make Hopkins look ancient (someday soon someone will and they will get a big career boost for doing so), Dawson and Pascal and going to dance agaon to the joy of absolutely no-one and Shumenov is going to remain in his avoided/protected little bubble.

[Datsue]

My problem is not so much that he is fighting Krasniqi (who, on paper at least, looks his toughest opponent since Karo Murat), but that in the build up and aftermath to the Shawn Hawk nonsense, we were fed the same tired old lines about it beaing a tune up as preparation for bigger tests ahead and that 2013 will bring the big unification fights that have been promised. Well, here we are again and its another nobody-fight.

The mandatory line is a smokescreen. If Nathan was to take on IBF Champ, Tavoris Cloud, for example, a title would be on the line. If Team Cleverly are confident in his ability to beat the best (and Cloud is no Archie Moore) then throwing away a paper title to fight for something a little more precious is surely worth the risk? As it is, Cloud gets his chance to make Hopkins look ancient (someday soon someone will and they will get a big career boost for doing so), Dawson and Pascal and going to dance agaon to the joy of absolutely no-one and Shumenov is going to remain in his avoided/protected little bubble.

Mate I'm broadly on the same page as you, but let's not fvck about with pie in the sky matches.

How can Clev be expected to even think of fighting Cloud when a battle with Booker T. Word looms so large in his future?

[danconnollyeire]

Give Hawk a rematch

[lillywhite14]

If he was just defending the Euro belt…or fighting towards a world title nobody would mind too much. Be another learning fight towards world class.

I don’t have an issue with Nathan still finding his feet. Just the “world title” label…

Same here. It's almost like the title is doing him no favours. His bank balance will be doing ok though and good luck to the chap on that

Has to be said though, he is the most 'paper-est' of champions in the entire sport right now.

I like the comment regarding getting his title out of a packet of cornflakes!!!

[Parson Cross]

On what basis do you say his bank balance is doing ok ?
I doubt it.

[dondada]

My problem is not so much that he is fighting Krasniqi (who, on paper at least, looks his toughest opponent since Karo Murat), but that in the build up and aftermath to the Shawn Hawk nonsense, we were fed the same tired old lines about it beaing a tune up as preparation for bigger tests ahead and that 2013 will bring the big unification fights that have been promised. Well, here we are again and its another nobody-fight.

The mandatory line is a smokescreen. If Nathan was to take on IBF Champ, Tavoris Cloud, for example, a title would be on the line. If Team Cleverly are confident in his ability to beat the best (and Cloud is no Archie Moore) then throwing away a paper title to fight for something a little more precious is surely worth the risk? As it is, Cloud gets his chance to make Hopkins look ancient (someday soon someone will and they will get a big career boost for doing so), Dawson and Pascal and going to dance agaon to the joy of absolutely no-one and Shumenov is going to remain in his avoided/protected little bubble.

Mate I'm broadly on the same page as you, but let's not fvck about with pie in the sky matches.

How can Clev be expected to even think of fighting Cloud when a battle with Booker T. Word looms so large in his future?

'Cloud a pie in the sky match' - got to be a joke in there somewhere. Apart from the WBO title, I mean.

I'm going to throw in another name for Clev. Tyrone Booze. As a former WBO champ, there's probably some rule they can invent to say he can get a straight shot. I reckon if Booze lays off the booze, he can get down to his mid-eighties weight and, let's face it, who wouldn't want to be a two-weight WBO champ?

[lillywhite14]

On what basis do you say his bank balance is doing ok ?
I doubt it.

I bet he has more money in the bank than other prospects at the same stage in their career. Ignore the 'world title', in reality he isn't world champion. The strap means he earns more than he would without it.