Welshman Nathan Cleverly is now unbeaten in 20 fights

European light-heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly will have to wait for his shot at a world title.

Current WBO champion Juergen Braehmer has been given permission to delay his mandatory defence against the Welshman to face WBA champion Beibut Shumenov.

Welshman Cleverly beat Karo Murat last month in a final eliminator but will instead fight for the WBO interim title on 11 December in Liverpool.

No opponent has yet been named but it is likely to be Alejandro Lakatos.

Spaniard Lakatos, 36, who was born in Romania, holds the WBO European title - a regional belt not to be confused with Cleverly's EBU crown - after beating Abdelkahim Derghal over 12 rounds last February in Madrid to take his record to 31 wins, five defeats and two draws.

"In a way it's a little bit disappointing because you want to be announced as the world champion on the night of your fight," Cleverly told BBC Sport Wales.

"After the victory... I'd be the WBO interim world champion, which is a little bit of an anti-climax, but still I've done my duties winning the fight and hopefully becoming world champion then.

"There's a situation where there's two world champions at the moment [Braehmer and Shumenov], they're going to fight soon so one of them has two titles as such.

I've got the most exciting crop of young boxers I've ever worked with Promoter Frank Warren

"And the winner of my fight now on 11 December goes on to fight the... world champion, hopefully by early 2011 I'll have a couple of world titles on my waist."

However, the scheduled clash between Braehmer and Shumenov could be overtaken if German Braehmer fails in his appeal against a 16-month prison sentence for assault and insulting behaviour.

American Tavoris Cloud holds the IBF belt and Jean Pascal of Canada the WBC version of the light-heavyweight crown.

Cleverly, 23, has recently been named the Boxing Writers' Young Boxer of the Year.

His 10th-round stoppage over Murat saw Cleverly become unbeaten in 20 fights, with 10 finishing inside the scheduled finish. He is only the ninth Welshman to have picked up the honour.

Scheduled to appear on the same bill as Cleverly in Liverpool is Paul Smith, who will defend his British super-middleweight crown in a mouth-watering domestic clash against James DeGale.

Matt Macklin will make a defence of his European middleweight crown and Sheffield's Kell Brook defends his WBO inter-continental strap.

Frankie Gavin, the 2007 amateur world champion, challenges for the WBO inter-continental light-welterweight crown, while Tony Bellew will put his Commonwealth light-heavyweight title on the line.

Promoter Frank Warren added: "I've put on some massive shows during my 30 years in boxing and this will be up there with the best.

"At the moment I've got the most exciting crop of young boxers I've ever worked with and this show represents the next generation of stars in British boxing - this is set to be a fantastic night with some cracking fights from top to bottom on the card.

"Smith and DeGale is a fight that everybody wants to see and with exciting youngsters like Cleverly, Brook, Macklin, Bellew and Gavin, plus many more joining them, it will be one huge night for the fans."

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