British Scene Previews: Cleverly vs Mohammedi - Macklin vs Veron - Brook vs Kotey

More previews for Saturday big Echo Arena show from Dave Oakes.  Check out Dave's previews for the rest of the show: DeGale vs Smith & Bellew vs McKenzie

Cleverly vs Mohammedi

Nathan Cleverly takes on late replacement Nadjib Mohammedi for the interim WBO light-heavyweight title. Cleverly was originally supposed to fight Alejandro Lakatos but the Spaniard pulled out due to pneumonia.

Mohammedi, 23-1 (12 KO’s), has taken the fight on just two days notice but is said to be in good shape. He’s a come forward fighter, although doesn’t throw a huge number of punches. He normally looks to force mistakes from his opponent before countering them.

The only defeat on his record came in the Grand Tournoi (a similar event to the Super Six) against Thierry Karl. The much taller Karl, whose defence isn’t the best to say the least, was an easy target, but Mohammedi struggled to get into range and was knocked out in the first round – being dropped by way of a quick straight right to the temple. The punch didn’t look to have much behind it but it robbed Mohammedi of his senses, the referee waving the fight over after Mohammedi struggled to his feet looking disorientated.

Cleverly, 20-0 (10 KO’s), will have height and reach advantages over Mohammedi and has shown increased punch power recently, stopping his last seven opponents. His honey punch is the straight right, the very punch that brought Mohammedi his only defeat.

The undefeated Welshman was impressive in defeating Karo Murat last time out; he could’ve made life easier for himself by using his skills more but decided to go toe-to-toe with Murat. He was caught with a few hard punches, especially in the fourth round, but walked through them to land his own shots. The finish came at the end of the ninth, with an exhausted and battered Murat being pulled out by the doctor.

At 23 years of age, Cleverly already looks close to being the finished article. He’s shown he’s equally adept at boxing at range and at standing and trading; he throws classy combinations, can switch from head to body with ease and has great stamina. He’s more than ready for all the big names at light-heavyweight and a win here will put him in line to challenge the winner of Juergen Braehmer v Beibut Shumenov.

Macklin vs Veron

Matthew Macklin should make a successful defence of his European middleweight title. He takes on former world title challenger Ruben Veron, who lost on points to Felix Sturm seven years ago.

Veron is a decent fighter but has come up short whenever he’s been stepped up in class, although he does hold a good win over Lukas Konecny, the current European champion at light-middleweight.

I’d be surprised if Veron goes the distance; he’s been stopped three times previously and seems fragile mentally. If Macklin starts dominating then I can’t see Veron withstanding the pressure. I expect Macklin to secure an easy victory around the fourth round.

Brook vs Kotey

Kell Brook will be hoping to sharpen his tools against Philip Kotey. Brook struggled in his last fight before a cut forced Michael Jennings out in the fifth round. Brook looked rusty in the rounds before the stoppage, Jennings’ footwork caused him problems and he couldn’t close the Chorley man down quick enough to land cleanly.

Kotey shouldn’t pose too many problems; he’s lost four of his last ten fights and has never boxed anyone of Brook’s quality before. I can’t see any other outcome other than a Brook victory; the method will depend on his mindset and Kotey’s durability. I’d be surprised if Brook doesn’t manage a stoppage though, he’ll be keen to show his true class after not having the opportunity to do so against Jennings.

e-mail Dave Oakes