Juergen Braehmer vs. Nathan Cleverly: Winner, Recap and Reaction

Nathan Cleverly pulled off an upset and captured the WBA light heavyweight title by securing a victory over Juergen Braehmer on Saturday in Neubrandenburg, Germany.

Braehmer appeared to be ahead through the first six rounds of the fight. Although Cleverly wasn't afraid to trade punches with the German, Braehmer's offense was more effective.

As the seventh round was set to begin, though, Braehmer's corner stopped the fight because of an injury, according to BBC Wales Sport. The Telegraph's Gareth Davies reported he suffered a dislocated elbow.

Sky Sports Boxing shared a photo of the winner:

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden thought it was a disappointing conclusion to the bout:

"

Shame to see Braehmer hurt. He and Cleverly had a pretty good fight going. #boxing

— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) October 1, 2016"

The Guardian's Sachin Nakrani added that the result was fortuitous for Cleverly:

The fight ended more abruptly than fans wanted, but the two fighters put on an exciting display for six rounds.

Braehmer and Cleverly were originally set to clash in May 2011, but Braehmer suffered an eye injury in training and pulled out of the fight.

Since then, the two have had diverging fortunes in the ring. Braehmer won his next 12 bouts, while Cleverly embarked on a five-fight winning streak before going 3-3 in his last six events. In his last fight, he lost a unanimous decision to Andrzej Fonfara.

Cleverly, who arguably came out looking stronger despite the result, was confident in his chances against Braehmer.

"I'm more of a man, more mature and at a better stage in my career," he said, per BBC Sport's Huw Morgan. "I have more man-strength, more boxing skills, more power—I am more ready for this fight now."

It was a good win for Cleverly, who entered the fight as a 3-2 underdog, according to Odds Shark. Although nobody considered Braehmer to be an invincible champion, he remains a talented fighter. And he had the benefit of a partisan crowd of his countrymen behind him.

Cleverly needed to come out on top to reverse his downward trend since his knockout at the hands of Sergey Kovalev in 2013.

That defeat will be fresh in the minds of promoters and fans, however, as Cleverly's next opponent is determined. As much as his reputation improved after his performance against Fonfara, Cleverly still lost, strengthening the idea that he's not worthy of being considered one of the best fighters in the light heavyweight division.

His WBA title won't convince Cleverly's critics otherwise, either, especially given how Saturday's fight was unfolding.

In addition, during his 17-match unbeaten streak, Braehmer was often facing inferior competition rather than the top contenders in his division.

When tested against the best, Cleverly lost so thoroughly to Kovalev that he contemplated retiring shortly afterward.

Over the past few years, the 29-year-old has shown little that would lead fans to expect a different result if he were to get a rematch against Kovalev or a bout with Adonis Stevenson or Andre Ward.

Taking on Braehmer in a return fight is the most logical outcome. As The Times' Ron Lewis tweeted, though, Braehmer's injury casts a lot of doubt on that prospect, leaving Cleverly with an uncertain future.

Post-Fight Reaction

Cleverly thought he was the better fighter on the night and added he's open to a rematch, according to Sky Sports' Isaac Robinson:

"

I'm grateful to Braehmer for giving me the shot at the title. He's been a great champion but he's 37 years of age now, and it's time for a younger man to take the title now. It's time for a new champion. If he wants the rematch we've got a clause if he really wants it.

Ultimately, I broke Braehmer up in the first six rounds. It was only going one way but if he wants a rematch, we'll do it.

"

"This is the second phase of my career and it feels the right time," the new champion said, per ESPN.co.uk's Nick Parkinson. "It was a matter of letting him tire himself out and break him up. I took the steam out of him and he folded a bit earlier than I expected."