Welsh hope Nathan Cleverly faces the always difficult task of a major title shot abroad - in Italy against seasoned Italian Antonio Brancalion for the vacant European light-heavyweight title on January 29. Unbeaten Cleverly, who has already won British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight titles, goes the traditional route in his quest to secure a world ranking and a quick world title shot at the tender age of 22. One has to admire the tall, talented, stiff-hitting youngster who came out of nowhere to wrest the Commonwealth belt from Portsmoth’s vastly more experienced Tony Oakey on a unanimous decision in October 2008 and then added the British crown with a seven-round stoppage of Norwich’s previously unbeaten Danny McIntosh last summer. He retained both titles with an eight-round stoppage of Liverpool’s useful Courtney Fry in October. Now 18-0, Cleverly has proved he is capable of holding his own with the best domestic boys but the 33-year-old Brancalion is a different fish, with bucketloads of top-flight experience at 32-7-2, although he comes off a first-round defeat to world class German banger Juergen Braehmer in Germany last June. This might be a good time to tackle the cute and usually durable Brancalion, who was stopped for the first time in his 10-year career and hasn’t fought since. Believe me, in Italy, Nathan will need every edge he can get.
If the fight is anywhere near the neighbourhood of being close then Einstein is going to need a stoppage...he knows that, so will probably go all out IMO