Who Has the Better Chance to Win a World Title: Nathan Cleverly or Tony Bellew?

While they may not still be in the same weight class, there is still a rivalry between Tony Bellew and Nathan Cleverly.

The two British boxers have fought twice before, managing one win apiece, but there is not likely to be a third instalment to their story in the near future, if ever.

Rather than preparing to fight each other, the pair are now in a race to pick up a world title.

Cleverly (29-3, 15 KOs) has already been a champion. The Welshman with the degree in mathematics is a former holder of the WBO light heavyweight belt, although he was awarded the title—rather than winning it in the ring—when holder Juergen Braehmer failed to show up for a fight in May 2011.

His reign was emphatically ended by Sergey Kovalev in August 2013, with the Russian not only taking the belt but also ending Cleverly’s perfect record after 26 straight victories.

Since then, Clev has had three facile wins and two notable defeats.

A stint up at cruiserweight was cut short after he lost a rematch with Bellew (more on their first meeting to come) in 2014, while he then lost a slugfest with Andrzej Fonfara the following year.

Now, though, the 29-year-old looks set to get a chance to become a world champion again.

According to Michael Pearlman of BBC Wales Sport, Cleverly will finally go up against Braehmer, who now holds the WBA’s regular title.

Scott Heavey/Getty Images

While Cleverly waits for confirmation over his next outing, Bellew (26-2-1, 16 KOs) has big plans of his own.

The Liverpudlian is scheduled to take on Ilunga Makabu for the vacant WBC cruiserweight strap, per James Dielhenn of Sky Sports.

His promoter, Eddie Hearn, admitted negotiations had not been easy, according to Dielhenn:

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I'm so pleased Tony gets to challenge for the title. I've been working for a while now to try and open something up but it's such a difficult division to get a break in, especially when the unification between Denis Lebedev and Victor Emilio Ramirez was announced.

"

Bellew will be hoping it will be third time lucky in his quest to win a major belt.

The 33-year-old’s only defeats as a pro have come in his previous world-title shots, the first of them against Cleverly at light heavyweight in 2011. The bout saw Bellew turn in an exceptional performance, only to come out on the wrong end of a majority-decision verdict.

His second attempt came against Adonis Stevenson two years later, when he was stopped by Superman in Round 6. He offered no excuses after the loss in Quebec, Canada, tweeting (h/t Martin Domin of the Daily Mail): "I gave it everything and the better man won and that’s it. Gutted."

Since facing Stevenson, Bellew has eased his issues on the scales by moving up to cruiserweight.

The switch has paid off so far, as he has reeled off six successive wins. The last of them, against Mateusz Masternak, saw him become the new European champion at the 200-pound limit.

So, both Bellew and Cleverly—long-time adversaries now campaigning at different weights—face make-or-break dates.

The question is: Who has the better chance of being successful should their proposed bouts become official?

Cleverly is not only the younger of the two but also has the benefit of being a former champion. He is happy to travel to take on Braehmer, too, telling David Williams of the South Wales Argus:

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I’d love to finally get Braehmer in the ring and challenge him for his world title. It has fallen through three times in the past so let’s hope we can get it on this time.

Hopefully we can tempt him for later in the year, maybe August, and I’d go over there to fight him.

I’m prepared to travel and I see no reason why he shouldn’t fight me this time.

"

Yet for all the potential challenger's confidence, Braehmer (48-2, 35 KOs) has not lost since 2008. He may not have the status of light heavyweight rivals Kovalev or Stevenson, but he should not be underestimated.

The fighter from Cefn Fforest would be advised to realise he could not simply chop down a champion who has never been stopped in more than 16 years as a pro.

Since losing a rematch to Bellew in November 2014, with their second meeting failing to live up to the hype, Cleverly has managed a knockout win in 24 seconds and lost a war with Fonfara.

The Fonfara fight was notable for Cleverly's bravery, as he battled on to the final bell despite a broken nose. Throughout the contest, he opted to stand and trade, a macho move that made sure he at least won praise for his efforts in defeat.

Yet Cleverly could have taken a different route. His boxing abilities are of a standard where he does not need to go toe-to-toe with a rival to triumph. Had it been a trilogy against Bellew, it would have been understandable, due to the bad blood between the two.

But against Fonfara, Cleverly had no need to prove a point. He was up against an American-based Pole who had already shown he has the stomach for a fight by taking Stevenson the distance in 2014.

Bellew, in contrast, has worked hard with his trainer, Dave Coldwell, to develop his boxing skills. He quickly earned a reputation as a heavy hitter, yet now understands he cannot just blast out top-level fighters.

He is never shy of speaking his mind—his trash talking even led to a scuffle at the weigh-in prior to his bout with Stevenson:

However, the verbal sparring Bellew seems to relish becoming involved in might well just be a front, a way of firing himself up as much as getting under his opponent's skin.

In the aftermath of beating Masternak on points to become European champion in December 2015, he said, per Jeff Powell and Declan Taylor of Mail Online: "If the truth be known, in a million years I never believed I was good enough to be European champion. Being European champion is nuts."

And while Cleverly could have to travel to face a wily veteran in his own backyard, Bellew is set to get home advantage when he faces Makabu, a dangerous southpaw who boasts a 19-1 (18 KOs) record.

According to Phil Kirkbride of the Liverpool Echo, Bellew could even get the chance to fight at Goodison Park, the home of his beloved Everton Football Club. He has boxed there before, albeit when playing the part of Ricky Conlan in the motion picture Creed.

Bellew could yet get to live out a Hollywood storyline in real life.

Makabu is a live opponent, though. Sky Sports' Ed Robinson tweeted his thoughts on the bout:

Yet Bellew has the experience to cope with anything that comes his way. He can make it third time lucky at a venue that means so much to him personally, provided he keeps a cool head in such a pressure situation.

He must make sure that, unlike Cleverly, he avoids getting involved in a scrap—Makabu has an impressive knockout ratio of 90 per cent.

Don't rule out Cleverly becoming a world champion, too, but his task against Braehmer looks a much tougher one.

It will be fascinating to see how both men go, particularly as a defeat for either would lead to questions over their future.

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