Nathan Cleverly is ready to face Juergen Braehmer in a rematch after winning the WBA regular light-heavyweight title when the German withdrew through injury.

Braehmer pulled out before the start of the seventh round of their fight in Neubrandenburg on Saturday with a suspected dislocated elbow. It came five years after they were first scheduled to meet, and though defending champion Braehmer appeared to be winning at the point of his withdrawal, Welshman Cleverly is ready to honour the rematch clause in their contract.

“If he wants the rematch as per the contract, he can have it,” said Cleverly, in a statement from promoters Matchroom. “I don’t know that he’ll want it, he’s 38 (actually 37) now and it would only go the same way, a Nathan Cleverly stoppage, but this time in Wales.

“I wanted to break him up in the first half of the fight and that’s what was happening. I felt him wince and wheeze in the sixth round when I was hitting him to the body and there was little coming back – the fight was only going one way.

“When I boxed (Andrzej) Fonfara, I had a busted nose, my ear was gone, and I carried on – the full 12. Braehmer pulled out in the seventh because I broke him, injury or no injury. It’s a 12-round fight – you fight the whole fight.”

Victory has revived the 29-year-old’s career after three losses from his past six fights. It was widely thought he may never fight again if he suffered another defeat, particularly after an unsuccessful move to cruiserweight.

“I’m so grateful to be world champion again,” Cleverly said. “I worked so hard after losing my belt in my sixth fight and now I’m a two-time champion. I was so young first time around and maybe it was too early for me at 24.

“I had six defences and lost it in devastating fashion against a pound-for-pound elite guy in Sergey Kovalev, and since then this has been my goal and I’ve made it. I’m so proud for my country.”