Courage Under Fire: How Nathan Cleverly Rekindled His Career with a Defeat

As he walked to the ring to face Andrzej Fonfara in Chicago, Illinois, Nathan Cleverly needed to answer questions about just where his career was going.

A former world champion at light heavyweight, the Welshman had lost his way since being “Krushed” by Sergey Kovalev in 2013.

There is no disgrace in losing to someone with Kovalev’s power. But, the end of a 26-fight winning streak started a downturn for Cleverly that left some wondering if he would ever rise again.

He reacted to the fourth-round loss to the American-based Russian in Cardiff, Wales, by stepping up to cruiserweight.

The move was a gamble—and it failed to pay off.

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There were two comfortable victories to start with at the higher limit, but a points loss to longtime rival Tony Bellew signalled a quick switch back down to 175 pounds.

Since losing for a second time, Cleverly had seen 24 seconds of action. He flattened Tomas Man with a body shot in May—the solitary punch told us nothing about his state of mind or his future potential.

So, when he left his dressing room at the UIC Pavilion on Friday night to face Fonfara, no one quite knew what to expect from the man nicknamed Clev.

His opponent was less of an unknown quantity. The Pole held the WBC International belt and had only been beaten once since the summer of 2008, with that solitary defeat during that period coming at the hands of Adonis Stevenson. Even then, he managed to take Superman the distance, losing on points.

Fonfara's win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in April had seen his stock continue to rise.

Cleverly, in contrast, had quickly become yesterday’s man. At the ripe old age of 28, he was in danger of falling off the light heavyweight landscape and being consigned to the boxing fan's memory bank.

After 12 absorbing rounds, however, he was suddenly in the spotlight again. Despite losing on points, Cleverly showed he still has plenty left in the tank, both mentally and physically.

The 28-year-old played his part in a genuine contender for fight of the year, as was the verdict of several boxing experts on Twitter:

The numbers were barely believable. According to CompuBox stats, the duo landed 936 of the 2,524 punches they threw at each other.

Fonfara hit the target with one notable blow in particular, breaking his opponent’s nose during the middle rounds.

You didn’t need to be a doctor to work out what had happened to the challenger, with Cleverly's nose expanding at a similar rate as Greece's national debt. Promoter Eddie Hearn later confirmed on Twitter Cleverly also needed to visit the hospital to have blood drained from a damaged ear.

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The battle scars will remain for a while before eventually healing. What should hurt Cleverly for a little while longer is the thought of what could have been had he only done things a little differently.

The tone was set for a war in the opening minutes, and neither man backed down.

Yet, despite the desire to trade, there were points in the first half of the bout when Cleverly controlled proceedings behind his jab.

He would occasionally opt to box at length, leading accurately with the left to set up the straight right. Fonfara felt the straight right, too, smiling and nodding in appreciation on the occasions when it caught him.

But Cleverly simply couldn’t resist in getting involved in a tear-up. It was almost as if he had to prove a point, so he stood and fought, rather than punching and moving.

His courage under fire was admirable, but for someone with a degree in mathematics, it didn’t add up.

Fonfara is a good, solid fighter, but he has his limitations. He is very durable, yet far from dynamic. His head movement is minimal, plus he works in short bursts before retreating back behind a high defence.

The best way to show up his deficiencies? Certainly not standing and trading with him like toy Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots.

Cleverly proved he still had the stomach for a fight with his choice of tactics. He has worked in the same method previously, refusing to back down from Bellew in their rematch in 2014.

But, had he used his head a little more (not literally, of course), he may well have returned home with more than just bumps and bruises as his badges of honour.

Cleverly had taken a punt in choosing to fight Fonfara in the first place.

He had rejected the opportunity to fight Juergen Braehmer in Germany for the WBA title, telling Sky Sports that he believed taking on Fonfara was a “bigger fight” at this stage.

The offer to go up against Braehmer may come back around again—but Cleverly has also suggested the possibility of doing it all over again with Fonfara:

A rematch, perhaps on British soil in the early stages of 2016, could produce another cracker.

If Cleverly commits to his boxing a little more, he might be the one who comes out on top the second time around.