Into the fire...

One of the forgotten men of British boxing jumps in at the deep end this week as Liverpool based light heavyweight Courtney Fry takes on Joe Calzaghe's heir apparent, Nathan Cleverly for the British and Commonwealth titles.

My desktop permissions will not allow me to check the odds for the fight, but my guess is that Clev will be somewhere around 5/6 to beat the ageing Enfield born former ABA champion. The bookies are rarely wrong. But, in the words of the Black Eyed Peas, "I got a feeling"...

Fry is an accomplished boxer whose record (13(5)-2) can be misleading. He's been avoided by many in the industry and mismanaged to the point where he has publicly mooted retirement on more than one occassion. His amateur pedigree alone should have been enough to give him a decent run at the British title before now (3 ABAs, a commonwealth gold and an olympian to boot), but it's never quite happened. Not enough of a name for the challengers at the weight to take the risk and considered too good an opponent for most prospects, Fry has found himself, all too often, in British boxing wilderness. Stuck firmly between two closed doors, it seemed that he'd never get his chance.

So kudos to Cleverly for taking this fight. Lets not pretend that the LHW division in this country is littered with talent. There was probably little alternative for the Welshman, but all too often that does not matter in this great sport of ours. So, in a rare opportunity, we get to see two quality boxers square up at domestic level. Cleverly is rightly the favourite having been much more active, defending champion and a run of form which has led people to start murmuring the word 'potential' in the same sentence.

Fry, however, is a great technician. Patient (equally labelled a 'slow-starter') and with a decent pop in his punches, Courtney may be able to surprise a few people this Friday. He's not averse to mixing it, the key to his victory maybe to size up his opponent before wearing him down late on. It wouldnt surprise me to see this fight go the full twelve and see Cleverly nick it on the cards, equally (and more controversially) I wouldnt be surprised to see a late stoppage for Fry. Whether the Welshman's recent display of power punching can continue is another interesting factor. If his punches carry as much power as they seem to have in his last few outings then what is there to say he wont blow Fry out of the water in the first three?

Regardless, I cant wait for this one. And for what it's worth, my money is on Fry in round 10 (as soon as I'm able to access a betting website again).

Thoughts?

 

:deal

 

Following from BBC Sport;

Liverpool-based light-heavyweight Courtney Fry says his amateur pedigree can help him beat British and Commonwealth champion Nathan Cleverly.

Fry, 34, will face Cleverly, 22, for the Welshman's professional titles at London's York Hall on Friday.

"We are talking a long time ago (but) I've boxed the best in the world," the Londoner told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"I've held my own against them and some of them I've beaten. I feel like I've still got it."

He added: "I believe at 34, my age is just a number and I live the life of a 21-year-old.

"If he thinks he can take me to the deep-end early, he can try but I'm fit as a fiddle."

Fry was a Commonwealth Games champion in 1998 and a Sydney Olympian in 2000.

However his progress in the professional ranks had stalled to such an extent that he has only fought 15 times in six years and had been considering quitting the sport.

The likeable Enfield fighter has been re-energised by his title opportunity and denies his relative inactivity of recent years will prove his downfall against Cleverly.

"I'm mentally strong and I'll overcome that with my brain," he said.

"Apart from that, I've been sparring non stop, I'm always in the gym and I'm always training so I don't see it as a problem."

Fry believes a victory at York Hall could finally kick-start his career in the paid ranks.

"Friday is the start of something new. He may see me as a stepping stone but I see him as the stepping stone and I will overcome him."