CEFN Fforest boxer Nathan Cleverly, recently named joint runner-up to Scotland’s Paul Appleby in the British Boxing Writers Young Boxer of the Year award, stepped up to the plate at Everton Park Sports Centre on Friday night with the vacant Commonwealth light-heavyweight title up for grabs.

Also with designs on the title, having fought for it as recently as June, being halted by Dean Francis in the 9th round in the process, was Portsmouth puncher Tony Oakey, who way back in 2001 held the very same belt, vacating it early the following year to chase, and ultimately secure, WBU honours.

The vastly experienced Oakey represented a significant step up for Nathan in what was his 13th paid bout and his first in the light-heavyweight division, but with confidence high he dominated proceedings for long periods before running out a wide points-winner on the cards of the three scoring judges at ringside.

Preston’s Phil Edwards, Doncaster’s Howard Foster and Mickey Vann of Leeds, scoring the twelve-rounder 119-110, 117-111 and 116-112 respectively.

 If renowned brawler Oakey expected the taller Cleverly to use his reach advantage and box in the early stages he may well have been surprised when the younger fighter took the contest to him from the opening bell, reluctant to take a backward step and happy to go toe to toe, his regular combinations to the head and all-round faster hands opening him an early lead.

 By the time Oakey began to settle into the fight he was already four rounds behind, though he was buoyed somewhat by the sight of blood, Cleverly being left with a cut above the right eye late in the fifth session.

With an improved work-rate Tony looked to have edged the sixth round too, though he still had to endure a spell on the ropes, but by the later part of the seventh round Nathan was rallying once more, scoring with a trio of right uppercuts as the bell approached.

A right hook to the body and a solid right uppercut early in the next brought applause from Dean Powell in Cleverly’s corner, and when he repeated the dose a couple of minutes later Oakey appeared to be flagging a little, his replies becoming rarer and a little ragged.

Nathan knew that he was on top and having returned to his corner at the end of the ninth, sporting a big grin, he maintained the pressure by banging home a whipped- in right uppercut within seconds of the start of the tenth before catching the outgunned former champion with an increasing number of spearing jabs.

Any hopes Oakey had of springing a late shock were thwarted mid-way through the last when another clash of heads left him with a nasty diagonal gash high on the right-hand side of his head, a wound deemed so bad by Paisley referee Victor Laughlin that it had to survive a lengthy inspection by a doctor before Tony was allowed to continue.

 His face a bloody mess, Oakey was by that stage chasing a lost cause and with Cleverly still fresh, and on top to boot, was in the ascendancy.

 Speaking later, a jubilant Cleverly said: “Tony Oakey was on about how fit he was and that he’d grind me down, but he didn’t realise that I’m an athlete as well.

“I stuck with him early on and I knew he would tire before me because I’m so confident in my own fitness. I enjoyed getting into a brawl early but then boxed him later on. I’ll be back at university on Monday complete with my cut eye, there won’t be many students turn up for classes with stitches.”

Ambitious Cleverly, a maths student at Cardiff University, now fancies a shot at the man he should originally have faced at Everton, Basingstoke’s Dean Francis, who vacated this Commonwealth title on pulling out of the proposed contest.  Victory over Francis would see Nathan add the British title to his Commonwealth crown.