Nathan Cleverly says he’ll KO Karo Murat in the first round – just like fellow Welshman Joe Calzaghe did to Mario Veit, in 2001. Cleverly hopes to follow in the footsteps of Calzaghe by lifting a WBO world title against the Iranian based German Murat, live and exclusive on Sky Box Office. He’ll be gunning for the Interim Light-Heavyweight belt on September 18 on Frank Warren’s Magnificent Seven event at the LG Arena, Birmingham, against his unbeaten opponent. And the 23-year-old says he has taken inspiration from a one-round blitz by Calzaghe nine years ago at the CIA in Cardiff..
Cleverly was a teenage schoolboy watching that show in the crowd, but will never forget the performance.
“Joe was great that night,” said Cleverly.
“It was occasions like that that made me want to become a professional fighter.
“It was a pretty miserable night to be German, and I’ll make sure Murat gets the same kind of treatment.
“My power has been improving with every fight as I begin to grow up. When I started out as an 18-year-old professional I was a gangly super-middleweight who didn’t really punch.
“Now I’m a big light-heavyweight and I’ve got the tools to take anyone out.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Murat, because anyone who is undefeated is going to be dangerous and is going to coming thinking they can win.
“But I’m going to be so positive right from the start because I remember how the crowd got behind Joe when he tok it to Veit all those years ago.”
Tickets for the Magnificent Seven are priced at £40, £50, £80, £150 and £200 and are available from:
LG Arena
0844 338 8000
Ticketmaster
0844 844 0444
www.ticketmaster.co.uk
See Tickets
0871 220 0260
www.seetickets.com
BURNS HEADS TO ENGLAND FOR SPARRING
Scottish scrapper Ricky Burns has been forced to head south in the search of sparring partners after knocking too many out at his Glasgow gym.
The WBO super-featherweight title challenger will now team up with Anthony Farnell’s gym in Manchester.
And Burns will find good challenges there – it is home to 2007 Amateur World Champion Frankie Gavin, and Commonwealth light-heavyweight king Tony Bellew.
The 27-year-old Scotsman is currently working towards a showdown with Puerto Rican hardman Roman Martinez on September 4 at the Kevin Hall, Glasgow, live on Sky Sports 1.
If his preparations for the fight are anything to by, he could well prevent the title going back to Puerto Rico.
“We’ve had guys ringing up and cancelling sparring because they’ve heard what Ricky has been doing in the gym,” said trainer Billy Nelson.
“Earlier this week two top fighters ring me within an hour of each other and said there was no way they were getting in the ring with Ricky.
“I can hardly blame them because the way he is fighting at the moment, he’s a match for anyone in the super-featherweight division.
“Ever since he’s been a wee lad, Ricky has been able to hold his own against anyone when it has come to boxing.
“But I the last 18 months or so he has really developed as a puncher. The wee man is dynamite.
“His fight against Martinez is being billed as a banger against a boxer, but Ricky will more than hold his own when it comes to power.
“He’s been sparring light-welterweights and welterweights in the gym and he’s been regularly putting them on their backsides.
“I’m so fed up with people refusing to step through the door that we’ve decided to go down to Manchester for a week or so and have a camp down there.
“It will be great for Ricky to get away for a few days as well and really get himself into fight mode.”
Titled ‘Burns Night’, Martinez v Burns headlines a super-card at the famous Kelvin Hall in Glasgow that also features an exciting showdown between John Simpson and Stephen Smith for the Commonwealth Featherweight Championship; plus the comeback of former British Featherweight Champion Paul Appleby; and rising stars John Thain, Steven Ormond and Gary O’Sullivan.
Tickets are priced at £40, £50, £75 and £150 from the following outlets:
Morrison Promotions: 0141 554 7777
Tickets Scotland: 08444 155 221 or www.tickets-scotland.com