WBO light-heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly and challenger Tony Bellew  came close to having their title fight a day early as both men had to be separated by their camps after they had made the 175 lb light heavyweight limit at the first time of asking ahead of their clash Saturday night at the Echo Arena in Liverpool. 

Commonwealth champion Bellew who hails from Liverpool weighed in right on the 12st 7lb limit as the scouse crowd roared their approval. Amid a crescendo of boos and jeers Welshman Cleverly weighed in just under the limit at 12st 6lb 4oz. Bellew fixed him with an ice cold stare as Cleverly focused on the scales. When he saw he had made the weight, the champion turned and smiled at Bellew, then flexed a bicep to the baying crowd. He then stepped off the scales straight toward Bellew for the traditional head-to-head photo-call, with both fighters snarling abuse at each other, and having to be forcibly restrained by their respective entourages. 

Both 24 year old Cleverly (22-0, 11 KO's) and 28 year old Bellew (16-0, 10 KO's) looked in great shape, with the slightly shorter Cleverly looking the more muscular of the two. Both men spoke after the weigh in: 

"I'm relaxed, Tony is the one who's het up, he's rattled, he's the one shouting his mouth once again," said Cleverly. "I just stayed calm, got on with business and I can't wait now, the fight is just around the corner,"  he added.

"He mentioned something like he's going to spark me out, knock me out, something like that, but I've heard it all before. He's actually now got to do the talking with his fists rather than his mouth for a change tomorrow night, so I'm just looking forward to seeing it unfold."

Naturally Bellew had a different perspective on the post weigh-in fracas. 

"He came up at the weigh-in, he put his face in my face, he tried to butt me, so I just let it be known," said Bellew. "This isn't anything to sell tickets, I'm not in the business of selling tickets, I'm in the business of fighting. The reason that happened is he put his head in my head; he can't intimidate me, I intimidate him, he's scared, you can see it in the guy's eyes. Come tomorrow he's going to pay."

In the chief supporting bout to Cleverly vs Bellew, James DeGale challenges Poland's Piotr Wilczewski for the European super-middleweight title as he looks to bounce back from his points defeat to George Groves in a British and Commonwealth title fight in May - the only loss of his pro career.

"Obviously to lose your 'O' is upsetting, but it has happened to a lot of great fighters and it is about the way you bounce back," said DeGale. "I'm in a fantastic position. To come off a loss and box for the European title is fantastic, and when I win this I'll get a world ranking and all the doors open again.''

On the subject of a rematch with arch nemesis Groves, DeGale said ''I think the public want to see it because it was so close and controversial. That is high on my wish list. If he defends his title and I win this European title, believe me that will happen sooner rather than later."