Dread force arresting the boxer (13)
I believe the answer is:
featherweight
'boxer' is the definition.
(featherweight is a kind of boxer)
'dread force arresting the' is the wordplay.
'dread' becomes 'fear' (synonyms).
'force' becomes 'weight'.
'arresting' is an insertion indicator.
'fear'+'weight'='fearweight'
'fearweight' going around 'the' is 'FEATHERWEIGHT'.
(Other definitions for featherweight that I've seen before include "Sportsman" , "Boxing category" , "Boxer; person not worth serious consideration" , "Light boxer" , "Nobody" .)