Nathan Cleverly

Nathan Cleverly is a Welsh former professional boxer who competed from 2005 to 2017, during which time he became a two-time light-heavyweight world champion. Born on February 17, 1987, in Caerphilly, Wales, Cleverly's boxing career spanned more than 12 years. He made his professional debut in July 2005 at the age of 18 against Ernie Smith and went on to win 25 consecutive fights, 12 of which were won by stoppage, before suffering his first loss to Sergey Kovalev via 4th round TKO on August 17, 2013.

Cleverly had a total of 34 fights in his professional career, winning 30 of them and losing four. He had 16 knockout wins, two losses via knockout, and no draws or no-contests. He competed in the light-heavyweight and cruiserweight weight classes and had a height of 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) and a reach of 76 in (193 cm). His stance was orthodox.

In May 2011, at 24 years old and with a professional record of 21-0, Cleverly was elevated as the WBO light-heavyweight world champion. He defended his title five times, winning four of those fights by stoppage, including his first title defense against Aleksy Kuziemski on May 21, 2011, which he won via 4th round TKO. In addition to the WBO title, Cleverly won multiple regional light-heavyweight championships, including the European, British, and Commonwealth titles between 2008 and 2010.

One of Cleverly's career highlights includes his victory over Tony Bellew on October 15, 2011. Cleverly successfully defended his WBO light-heavyweight title against Bellew, winning the fight via 12 round majority decision. Cleverly won his first world title, the WBO title, after only 21 professional fights, and it was a major accomplishment in his career.

Another highlight of Cleverly's career was his win over Jürgen Brähmer on October 1, 2016. Cleverly won the WBA (Regular) light-heavyweight title from Brähmer, beating him via 6th round RTD. Overall, Cleverly won one world title at light-heavyweight and was elevated as world champion once in his career.

Throughout his career, Cleverly had some notable victories, including wins over Jürgen Brähmer, Aleksy Kuziemski, Shawn Hawk, Karo Murat, Tony Bellew, Shawn Corbin, and Tommy Karpency.

Although Cleverly had many victories in his professional career, he also experienced four losses. Two of those defeats were non-title fights, and two were in title bouts. Cleverly suffered his first loss to Sergey Kovalev via 4th round TKO on August 17, 2013, which ended his 26-fight win streak. His last professional fight was a light-heavyweight title defense bout against Swedish boxer Badou Jack on August 26, 2017. Cleverly lost the fight via 5th round TKO and lost his WBA (Regular) title.

Cleverly retired from professional boxing with a record of 30-4, which included 16 knockout wins and two losses via knockout, and one title win. His last fight was a light-heavyweight match against Badou Jack, which he lost via 5th round TKO.

Outside the ring, Cleverly graduated with a BSc in mathematics from Cardiff University in 2010, which is a testament to his academic abilities and dedication to success in other areas of his life.

In conclusion, Nathan Cleverly was a highly accomplished boxer who held multiple regional light-heavyweight championships and won one world title at light-heavyweight, as well as successfully defending his WBO title five times. He had notable victories against Jürgen Brähmer, Aleksy Kuziemski, Shawn Hawk, Karo Murat, Tony Bellew, Shawn Corbin, and Tommy Karpency. Although he had four losses in his career, they did not detract from the significant accomplishments he achieved. Cleverly retired from professional boxing with a record of 30-4, which included 16 knockout wins and two losses via knockout, and one title win. He will be remembered as a skilled and tenacious fighter who gave his all in the ring.

Nathan Cleverly Fight Record