By Alexey Sukachev
The new Welsh pride Nathan Cleverly (18-0, 8 KOs) wasn’t impressive all the way but got the job done against former amateur star Courtney Fry (13-3, 5 KOs), stopping him at 2:51 of the eighth to retain both his British and Commonwealth light heavyweight titles. WBO #5, IBF #8, WBC #11 and WBA #15 Cleverly started the fight in his usual mode, targeting Fry’s body with his left hook and adding right hand on occasion, while also peppering his foe with a jab. However, it was right uppercut, which won the fight for the Cardiff native. He hadn’t discovered this up to the midst of the fight and gave Fry some spotlight in the fifth, when he ate a variety of different shots from his rival. It was when Cleverly sensed he had to get back to some basics and he did that indeed. Rounds six and seven were rather tedious, but in the eighth stanza the Welshman finally started to deliver some bombs. At the end of the round, he increased his punch output and continuously rocked Fry several times, the last one with right uppercut and the subsequent right hand, forcing referee Victor Loughlin to stop the fight and… to fell down on canvas with him. A nice win for rising prospect and Cardiff University student Nathan Cleverly.
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Beijing British Olympian Billy Joe Saunders (4-0, 3 KOs) was forced to go the distance for the first time in his career by Latvian rugged journeyman Alex Spitko (6-16, 4 KOs). The score was 40-36 by Dave Parris in Saunders’ favor.
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Heavyweight Derek Chisora (11-0, 6 KOs) stopped Georgian Zurab Noniashvili (12-7-1, 6 KOs) in three rounds of action.
