Rematch likely to be in Liverpool again despite Cleverly winning first meeting.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has announced plans for a rematch between rivals Nathan Cleverly and Tony Bellew at cruiserweight in November.
Having recently joined the Matchroom stable, Cleverly immediately opened up the possibility of facing his former rival in a press conference which announced his return to the ring in Cardiff on May 17.
The former WBO light-heavyweight world champion hasn’t been in action since September last year after his loss to Sergey Kovalev, but having now made the step up to cruiserweight the Welshman has insisted that he feels more comfortable and is ready for “chapter two” of his career.
Naturally, with Bellew also making the change and winning on his debut in the division against Valery Brudov last month, the pair are inevitably on a collision course once again.
“He will be fighting on May 17 in Cardiff and it is my hope to put him out one more time after that before a winter fight with Tony Bellew,” Hearn wrote in his Daily Mail column.
“That fight is huge and, as it stands, I have pencilled in Liverpool in November. If they both keep winning, then they have a massive fight to look forward to and ultimately a final eliminator to a crack at the cruiserweight world title.”
Cleverly won their last meeting on a split decision in Liverpool and ultimately it appears as though he has no qualms about returning to the city for the rematch, with Hearn ruling out Cardiff due to the restrictions in attendances.
Nevertheless, the promoter is keen to see Cleverly get through his initial test at cruiserweight with his opponent set to be announced in the coming days, as Bellew insists he wants to make the big fights happen and progress through the division as quickly as possible in order to get a world title shot.
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