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A rematch three years in the making headlines this afternoon at Liverpool's Echo Arena, as now-cruiserweights Nathan Cleverly and Tony Bellew go head-to-head again in a rivalry that is legitimately personal, on top of a card loaded with familiar names and two bogus world title fights.
Live coverage begins at 1:00 pm EST, with Sky Box Office in the United Kingdom televising.
Cleverly (28-1, 14 KO) beat Bellew (22-2-1, 14 KO) back in 2011, a disputed majority decision that was a lot tougher than anticipated for the then-holder of the WBO light heavyweight title. Since then, Cleverly has lost his first pro fight, as he was destroyed by Sergey Kovalev in August 2013, and Bellew also came up short in a world title fight at 175 pounds, stopped by Adonis Stevenson a year ago in Quebec.
Both fighters moved up to cruiserweight in 2014, and have each gone 2-0 against marginal opposition. This should be a hot fight with plenty of action, and it's worth saying again that these two genuinely do not like one another. With Bellew a big draw and Liverpool one of the world's best fight crowds, there might be plenty of fireworks in this one.
Full Undercard TV Run Order
Here are the set fights:
Dave Oakes' Previews
Dave Oakes' Previews
- Jamie McDonnell (24-2-1, 11 KO) vs Javier Chacon (20-2, 5 KO), bantamweights, 12 rounds, for McDonnell's WBA "regular" title.
- Callum Smith (14-0, 11 KO) vs Nikola Sjekloca (28-2, 8 KO), super middleweights, 12 rounds.
- Scott Quigg (29-0-2, 22 KO) vs Hidenori Otake (22-1-3, 9 KO), super bantamweights, 12 rounds, for Quigg's WBA "regular" title.
- James DeGale (19-1, 13 KO) vs Marco Antonio Periban (20-2-1, 13 KO), super middleweights, 12 rounds.
- George Groves (20-2, 15 KO) vs Denis Douglin (17-3, 10 KO), super middleweights, 12 rounds.
There are also a pair of swing bouts set to air at whatever time is available. Sometime before 4:00 pm EST, you'll see Bradley Saunders (10-0, 8 KO) take on Ivan Levickis (13-14, 12 KO) in an eight-round welterweight bout, and sometime after 4:00 pm EST, Anthony Joshua (9-0, 9 KO) faces Michael Sprott (42-22, 17 KO) in a heavyweight bout set for but unlikely to reach 10 rounds.