‘I’m right at the top!’ – Former Olympian Cheavon Clarke fires warning to cruiserweight rivals ahead of professional debut

Former Olympian Cheavon Clarke has warned his cruiserweight rivals he is already operating at a higher level than them ahead of his professional debut.

Clarke, 31, will become the latest member of Team GB’s class of 2021 to make their professional boxing debut on Sunday after leaving the amateur game behind him.

He joins a thriving cruiserweight division when he makes his bow on the Lawrence Okolie vs Michal Cieslak card at the O2 Arena on Sunday having signed professional terms with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom.

With a huge amateur pedigree that has taken him across the world and seen him mix it with elite operators over the last decade, Clarke believes he has the ideal foundations needed to make a swift impact in a division where a number of stand-out British and Irish talents are already making their mark.

At the top of the pile is WBO champion Okolie. Below him, Richard Riakporhe is positioning himself for a WBC title shot with Jack Massey in possession of the IBO belt. Chris Billam-Smith is the reigning European champion and with Tommy McCarthy, Mikael Lawal and Isaac Chamberlain also in the equation there is no shortage of domestic talent vying for world honours.

Clarke however is out to claim his spot above each of them.

‘I’m right at the top,’ Clarke told Metro.co.uk when asked where he sees himself among the other British cruiserweight stars. ‘I’m not blowing smoke. I’m just telling the truth.

‘I believe in myself, the results have been there. I’m not making up bizarre stories like there is nothing there to prove it. I have got the results, I have built the foundations.’

Five years ago, Okolie began the same journey Clarke now embarks on after his Olympic campaign in Rio de Janeiro, reaching his goal of becoming world