Cleverley interview with Tris Dixon (Good Honest Interview)

[jameswilson]

I'v mentioned before Mr Warren has a good track record of rebuilding his fighters after supposedly crushing defeats. Cleverly needs to change trainers tho.

[lefty]

Fight Enzo loser leaves town match.

Im 99.9 % sure that Cleverly would win that fight.

[lefty]

You beat me to it - just came on here to post it myself! Two take-aways for me:

1) Cleverley comes across well and I think it bodes well for him coming back from this in the right way. He's mature, analytical and self-aware. After reading it, surely anyone would just wish him well.

2) Great journalism from BN - I for one was desperate to hear Clev's reaction to defeat and couldn't find anything, so this constitutes a genuine exclusive. I've been critical of BN in the past in terms of not leveraging its heritage or access enough to get these types of insights but Tris Dixon has got straight on the case here and come up trumps.

Colombo, safe in the knowledge that you'll read this thread at some point, what he's saying about Kovalev's "clubbing" blows backs up what we were talking about previously.

You read me like a book haha. Yeah that's what the punches Kovalev was throwing and landing seemed like to me and Nathan has backed that up. I think Golovkin, Maidana, Matthysse and quite a few of the other big bangers out there in the modern era have similar type power! I dont think there is many if any true one punch KO artists nowadays but guys that have 'clubbing' type power.

[stevedoc]

the way nathan was beaten can ruin a boxers confidence ,if you lose on points or in a close fight you can think well if i did a bit more i might of won but getting KO'd so easily must play on nathans mind . given a couple of easy fights cleverly could be back but i think he'd been damaged to much mentaly to get back to the top.

[johnswan1]

No, he won't be the same again. Boxing doesn't have to be his life, he has other options, and that would be a worry for me if he was to return to boxing. Can't imagine he'll ever have the same hunger again.

[lillywhite14]

Very few fighters come back the same as before let alone better after such a convincing stoppage

[sweetscience]

Khan did & his first loss was far more brutal n by a lesser boxer

He just ain't top world class / elite

[Newport Daz]

He didn't take a long sustained beating like Jeff Lacy did, it just depends how mentally strong he is. From his interview with Tris Dixon he seems like his confidence has been dented a bit.

[Final round]

Excellent interview, honest as you like.

[SNG]

His career has been badly handled by the alleged one.

No it hasn't.

I agree, I find it an odd assertion to be honest.

[MightyWarrior]

Yeah without doubt FW managed the maximum from Clev's career so far, a "world champ" and heavy favorite in all of his fights...until the latest one - which I think Clev insisted on.

Sh** or bust - if Frank had refused it, there would have been trouble - you could argue he might have had more meaningful fights in the lead up to this test, but let's face it, no way was he going to win v the Russkie ( with hind sight ).

[WelshJack]

I've said before he doesn't need boxing, which is the worst thing. Will he ever be a world champion again? Probably unlikely unless Bellew beats Stevenson. He may also look at it and see this and think what is the point.

[hurlock]

He wasn't left in a heap or twitching on the canvas.he got badly hurt & didn't have any natural survival tactics.cleverley didn't want to really know once he felt kolavevs strength.

I was interested to read in this interview he may reconsider fighting at l.heavy surely that doesn't mean step up??
He seems unsure wether he wants to pursue his career & wait to see what desire he has there.

Just seems the same as Mitchell get built up & padded out then put in @ world level & fail miserably

[lillywhite14]

Comes across as a nice guy but I always thought that anyway.

Most of it was refreshing and honest. Not too sure about the overhyping of Kov and the 'I made six title defences ' but to be expected.

[lefty]

Comes across as a nice guy but I always thought that anyway.

Most of it was refreshing and honest. Not too sure about the overhyping of Kov and the 'I made six title defences ' but to be expected.

Im still not 100% sold on Kovalev based on that victory! He can clearly punch but I think Cleverly's style suited somewhat aswell. Nathan has never been a defensively minded fighter and that really came back to bite him on saturday.

[Tom Ford]

Nathan looked frail in there, maybe a step up to Cruiser, he has the frame.

[crusader]

I'd still favor Clev against all but a few light heavyweights, at least if he's not shattered by such a hard loss. I think it's an issue of Kovalev being especially good, not of Clev being unable to cut it at world level. Campillo was coming off what should have been a title win over Cloud, and he was arguably beaten more convincingly by Kovalev than Clev was, and Murat and Bellew are mixing it at world level and Clev beat each of them fairly.

I'd like to see him continue, at least if his heart is in it.

[hurlock]

Nathan looked frail in there, maybe a step up to Cruiser, he has the frame.

Mate he makes it easy & was willing to drop down to fight froch so I don't see that at all

[lefty]

Nathan looked frail in there, maybe a step up to Cruiser, he has the frame.

Mate he makes it easy & was willing to drop down to fight froch so I don't see that at all

I dont know if he does make it easy actually. The reason I say that is I remember FW saying that he wouldnt allow Nathan to fight Froch at 168 as he has trouble making 175 and he's likely to go up in weight rather than down.

[DMA1987]

Nathan looked frail in there, maybe a step up to Cruiser, he has the frame.

Mate he makes it easy & was willing to drop down to fight froch so I don't see that at all

I dont know if he does make it easy actually. The reason I say that is I remember FW saying that he wouldnt allow Nathan to fight Froch at 168 as he has trouble making 175 and he's likely to go up in weight rather than down.

Didn't Nathan offer to fight Froch at Super Middle?

[TheCobra]

I can certainly see where he's coming from with the retirement talk, he has a brain in his head, he's not making big money from boxing so is it worth the risk vs reward of potentially damaging himself long-term for the sport - I'm sure those things went through his head in the build up to the Kovalev fight and especially when he felt the power in kovalev's hands.

It;s a question of desire now for him, he has massive boxing talent, does he want a relativley boring, stable life getting a job with his brains and living a normal life, or does he want the ups and downs and the dangers that boxing can bring - I think I know ultimately which one he will choose - your a long-time retired as an ex-sportsman so he really should carry on. It was probably just the bitter diappointment of losing talking there.

[stujones]

Clev is obviously a bright well rounded individual and at the end of the day it is his decision on should he continue or not. Does he want it anymore etc.

However, the lad is young and can come again. For me, what he did combining his studies with being a world champion was quite remarkable. As side from the time element it takes in the library to do a pure mathematics (not just "normal" maths - that stuff is rock hard). Student life has many temptations etc.

Now Clev is focusing solely on his boxing, I hope he does continue. It would seem a bit wasteful of those sacrifies he made to retire when at his prime age wise.

However, it is up to him - this game is hard.

[Anzi]

unusual for a fighter after such a defeat to give an interview like this, he was honest about his loss.

[lefty]

Nathan looked frail in there, maybe a step up to Cruiser, he has the frame.

Mate he makes it easy & was willing to drop down to fight froch so I don't see that at all

I dont know if he does make it easy actually. The reason I say that is I remember FW saying that he wouldnt allow Nathan to fight Froch at 168 as he has trouble making 175 and he's likely to go up in weight rather than down.

Didn't Nathan offer to fight Froch at Super Middle?[/quote]


Yeah he did. He was willing to do it for the opportunity but Warren said he wouldnt of allowed that to happen because Nathan would be dead at the weight. That was the general gist of it.

[lefty]

unusual for a fighter after such a defeat to give an interview like this, he was honest about his loss.

Reminded me a lot of the interview Price done recently aswell.