Cleverly could be crowned full WBO champion on Monday

Nathan Cleverly could be crowned WBO world light-heavyweight champion on Monday if reigning title-holder Juergen Braehmer is sent to prison.

German Braehmer will appeal against his 16-month prison sentence for assault and insulting behaviour.

If the 32-year-old is jailed, unbeaten Cleverly will be upgraded to WBO champ after his "ugly" interim title points win over Nadjib Mohammedi on Saturday.

But the Welsh fighter admitted: "I'd prefer to win the belt in the ring."

Should Braehmer avoid a custodial sentence, the WBO champion will first face WBA and IBA champion Beibut Shumenov for a unification showdown on January 8 in Kazakhstan.

Then Cleverly is expected to fight the winner of that bout in the spring of next year.

Braehmer was sentenced to prison by a German court in Schwerin in January but the southpaw will learn if his appeal has been successful on Monday.

"On Monday Juergen Braehmer could be going to prison," said Cleverly after his points over Frenchman Mohammedi in Liverpool.

"I'd prefer to win the belt in the ring. But if he is convicted, I would become world champion.

"It would be a little bit of a different way to win it."

Cleverly would become the 11th Welsh world boxing champion if Braehmer's appeal in Germany fails.
Juergen Braehmer has won two defences of his WBO world crown


And should Cleverly be crowned world champion, he would become just the second Welshman with lightweight legend Freddie Welsh to complete the full set of winning the British, Commonwealth, European and world belts.

But the 23-year-old concedes he is still not in the top-class of light-heavyweight fighters despite his elevated status following a "messy" unanimous points victory over Mohammedi at the Echo Arena on Saturday.

Bernard Hopkins and current number one Jean Pascal clash in Quebec on Saturday for the right to acknowledged the best in the 175 pound division.

Jamaican Glen Johnson and Americans Chad Dawson and Tavoris Cloud are above Cleverly in the light-heavyweight rankings but the honest Welshman admits he still has much to learn.