Bruising Polish star Andrzej Fonfara (27-3, 16 KOs) and former titlist Nathan Cleverly (29-2, 15 KOs) will meet in a 12-round light heavyweight battle as Premier Boxing Champions on Spike returns to UIC Pavilion in Chicago on Friday, October 16, with televised coverage beginning at 9 p.m. ET.
Fonfara, a fan-favorite in Chicago, will be fighting at UIC Pavilion for the 14th time in his career and is fresh off a stunning performance against former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in April of this year. He steps up again to fight a top light heavyweight in former world champion Cleverly and if he can get by this stiff test, he will be in a position to face all of the other top light heavyweights in this talent rich division.
“I’m excited to return to my hometown of Chicago on this big fight night against a world class fighter like Nathan Cleverly,” said Fonfara. “This will be a tough fight for both of us. Cleverly is a solid fighter and it’s no fluke that he was a world champion and that he defended his belt so many times. Our fighting styles guarantee that everyone can expect fireworks on October 16th. I want this fight to be a quick stop on my way to a rematch with Adonis Stevenson.”
“This is a major platform for me to prove that I am more than capable of becoming world champion again,” said Cleverly. “If I beat Fonfara it’s a doorway fight to the world title and establishing myself as one of the best light heavyweights once again. Fonfara is a good fighter. He’s tall, has power and has moved up through the levels in his career. I am looking forward to coming over to Chicago and I am very confident that our styles will blend well for a really exciting fight.
“Spike has been the home to some of boxing’s most exciting bouts of 2015 including Marco Huck vs. Krzysztof Glowacki and Andre Berto vs. Josesito Lopez,” said Jon Slusser, Senior Vice President, Sports, Spike. “We feel this trend will continue as Andrzej Fonfara vs. Nathan Cleverly is an equally matched fight that will bring a ton of action.”
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by Warriors Boxing in association with Matchroom Boxing, are priced at $151, $101, $51, $41 and $31, not including applicable service charges, and are on sale now. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or UIC Pavilion Box Office at (312) 413-5740. Tickets are also available at www.ticketmaster.com or by visiting the UIC Pavilion Box Office (Thursday or Friday 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.).
Born in Warsaw, Poland, but fighting now out of Chicago, Fonfara will look to take advantage of a supportive atmosphere on October 16 as he returns to UIC Pavilion. After racking up victories over Tommy Karpency, Gabriel Campillo and Doudou Ngumbu, the 27-year-old took down his biggest name when he stopped Chavez Jr. in the ninth-round on April 18. With 13 of his last 15 wins coming by way of knockout, Fonfara will no doubt deliver a great fight for fans on October 16.
A former world champion with a strong resume that includes victories over Tony Bellew, Karo Murat, Tommy Karpency and Nadjib Mohammedi, the Welsh Cleverly hopes to make an impact in his third career fight in the U.S. The 28-year-old made five defenses of his light heavyweight crown and is coming off of an early stoppage of Tomas Man in May.
