hopefully this guy can rid the boxing game of hopkins and present a viable threat to Andre Ward. skilled guy with some pop. I think he has too much firepower for Cleverly. i doubt hopkins will face him even if the sanctioning body makes kovalev mandatory instead of the goon who cant get a visa
Re: Kovalev Things I like... He's got heavy hands - he generates power with little effort... His handspeed is very good... He has a killer instinct and spots when he has an opponent even a little bit hurt... He looks comfortable and confident in the ring, very sure of himself... He likes to attack but knows enough to back off if he believes doing so will create another offensive chance... He is a fast starter who looks to impose his obvious strength form the outset Things I don't like... He's a bit stiff with his upper body and doesn't move his head well when attacking - when he does move it, it is usually when he is in backoff mode and even then it seems perfunctory and without purpose... He's in love with a lead right hand that is a bit ungainly and inaccurate, that could get him into trouble against a good counterpuncher... While he wastes less energy with his feet than most recent ams-turned-pro, he still gets caught up in needless, tense jumping back and forth... He appears to have no inside game at all (again this is commonplace among young fighters presently) I don't think Hopkins will ever fight him, but if it happens I think the fellow has a good chance at winning. If he comes out guns blazing, he could force Hopkins to stay in his shell the whole night and cruise to victory... I am more impressed with this kid than I ever was with flotsam like Dawson or Cloud
Ward would have little trouble with him and Hopkins would probably school him as well. It's questionably if he will fight at 168 either way.
He just destroyed Chris Henry's old sparring partner, but I predicted Kovalev would bomb him out in one so White went longer than expected. I like the guy a lot as a fighter, but I do not think he beats Nathan Cleverly right now, but that fight probably will not happen for awhile. Cleverly is the man to beat at light heavyweight, but no one in that division is capable of beating him.
Karl, do you think Cleverly is a guy who fights to the level of his opponent? The reason I ask is that I was very impressed by the guy in his run to the title (I'm hesitant to call him "champ" as he hasn't really earned it IMO), but he's had some shoddy performances since then and I'm not sure he's gonna hold on to that belt for long. I do think, and gave always thought, he gives Froch absolute nightmares stylistically though
You can't be Joe Louis every time out of the blocks is the way I look at things like that. The kid fights hard which is more than I can say for the majority of boxers nowadays, and IMO he's just too busy and strong for Froch. Nathan may not have those big bulging muscles, but this is boxing and a different set of ligament muscles are used and he's very strong and durable in that department. He trains old school which I like a lot.
I honestly think he beats Froch shockingly comfortably. It could be his breakout fight. It would be a shame in a way because resume wise, Carl absolutely dicks on Cleverly, but it's styles that make fights, not resumes. If Froch can't take Cleverly out early on then Nathan's style will give him fits. Good chance of it happening too, would be a sell-out in the UK.
Cleverly lacks seasoning but I have had my eye on him for a while as a guy who could put an absolute clinic on when it comes to Froch.
I went on Wikipedia and looked at this Cleverly fellow and his photo was in black and white. That makes him an all time great by default in todays era.
LOL. Neil sure hates Froch. Froch is far from a bum. He's actually a DAMN good fighter, far better than I expected him to be years ago. Having said that, as easy as he is to hit, I'm not sure if I like his chances against Kovalev. It might take Ward to beat Kovalev. Cleverly is a decent fighter, but nothing special. I think Kovalev would demolish Nathan.
Froch's a good fighter, but he doesn't have any style. I like classy fighters for the most part, boxers that fight from their boxing stance.
