Clever money goes on Nathan; Boxing.

Byline: Blair Wood

FRANK WARREN has backed Commonwealth champion Nathan Cleverly to go on to world title glory as Welsh boxing looks to bounce back from its recent humbling.

Having waved goodbye to the great Joe Calzaghe, Enzo Maccarinelli and Bradley Pryce's shock defeats last month were considered a huge blow for boxing in this country.

Maccarinelli, knocked out by the unknown Ola Afolabi, was the man supposed to be taking over Calzaghe's mantle, while Pryce, who lost his Commonwealth title after a brutal second-round stoppage at the hands of Matthew Hall, was one of only two Welshmen still holding a belt of note.

Their defeats leave Cleverly, for the time being at least, leading the way..

Fortunately, after two superb defences of the belt he won last October, the Blackwood fighter looks set for a bright future.

That's certainly the way Warren, his promoter, sees it. And the Sports Network supremo is confident his man has what it takes to take the light-heavyweight division by storm.

Warren was quick to point out Cleverly, who currently has a perfect 15-0 record, shouldn't get ahead of himself, though..

And, while he believes his man is capable of winning a world title, he stressed it may be some time before the 22-year-old is ready to do so.

"I have every confidence Nathan can be a big star and reach the highest level," he beamed. "But we just need to take our time and do it the right way.

"These days boxers fight for world titles much earlier than they ever used to. So you can't rule anything out.

"But this year should really be about gaining that bit more experience as far as Nathan is concerned.

He picked up a lot working with Joe Calzaghe and now we have to take him to the next level.

"I want to see more of him in the ring before we start talking about world title shots. There's no need to ruin him by rushing him in the ring too soon." While there may be a need for more experience, Warren believes Cleverly already possesses the raw talent to make it to the big time. And, while the youngster's physical attributes are something to be reckoned with, it's the pure maths student's intelligence between the ropes that really sets him apart.

"He is a clever fighter who uses his brain in the ring," Warren continued.

"The power is coming as well now and, when it does, he will be a very dangerous boxer.

"He is not a playboy. He lives properly and is very focused on his career. I feel he can be a big star. He just needs more experience."