Juergen Braehmer and Nathan Cleverly to battle on October 1 in Germany
WBA light heavyweight champion Juergen Braehmer (48-2, 35 KOs) will fight Nathan Cleverly (29-3, 15 KOs) on October 1 at the Jahnsportforum in Neubrandenburg, Germany.
Cleverly will bid to become a two-time world champion when he challenges German veteran Braehmer, who will be defending his world title for the seventh time.
The pair were initially supposed to meet in May 2011. Then WBO 175lbs titleholder Braehmer was scheduled to defend against the Welshman at The O2 Arena in London, but prior to the fight, Braehmer pulled out citing an eye injury and Cleverly was awarded the belt.
Cleverly made five successful defences of the WBO title, before he was dethroned by Sergey Kovalev, who stopped Cleverly inside 4 rounds in 2013.
The 29-year-old Cleverly is coming off a narrow points loss to Andrzej Fonfara last October while Braehmer, 37, outpointed Eduard Gutknecht in March.
Braehmer said: ''This is a fight the fans have wanted to see for a long time and I'm happy it's finally happening. I look forward to meeting Nathan Cleverly in the ring at the Jahnsportforum and proving once and for all who is the better boxer.
''Cleverly is a good fighter. He is a former world champion and I believe he is still one of the best light heavyweights in the world. He has a very exciting offensive style, which I'm sure will make for a great match-up. I will be expecting a tough fight, but with the support of the fans in Neubrandenburg, I'm confident I will win.''
Cleverly said: "This fight has been destined to happen and I can't wait now.
"I'm invigorated and I'm ready to strike again on the world scene and become a two-time world champion.
"Juergen is a great champion and an underrated one.
"He's a puncher that has pedigree in the pros and all the way back to the amateurs, he's a proper professional and a credit to the game.
"I am going into the champion's backyard and I need to rip the title off him, and that's what I intend to do."