12 Rounds of Christmas: Fonfara vs Cleverly - Round 7

Usually, the higher you go up boxing’s weight-class ladder, the punching power increases, but the punching output shrinks. Apparently, Andrzej Fonfara and Nathan Cleverly never received that memo ahead of their October 16 tussle.

The duo combined to throw more than 2,500 punches—a CompuBox record for the 175-pound division—and the vast majority were shots aimed above the shoulders. Although there was edge-of-your-seat action from the start, things really intensified in Round 7, when Fonfara busted open Cleverly’s nose during a memorable onslaught that included more than 40 unanswered blows.

After Fonfara finally punched himself out, a bloodied Cleverly stretched out his arms and smiled, as if to say, “Is that all you got?” The two then resumed exchanging head shots—not just for the remainder of the round, but the remainder of the fight.

In the end, Fonfara won a narrow 12-round unanimous decision, while Cleverly won the admiration of many (including his opponent) for his willingness to throw defense out the window and engage in one of the best toe-to-toe brawls of the year.

In the spirit of the season, Premier Boxing Champions is gifting fight fans with video clips from 12 of the year’s most exciting rounds, all from bouts staged under the PBC banner. Presented in chronological order from Round 1 through Round 12, the series debuted December 14 and continues daily through December 25.


Visit PremierBoxingChampions.com for info.

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