The British heavyweight showdown between BBBofC British and Commonwealth champion Fabio Wardley and heavyweight rival and hopeful contender Frazer Clarke is set to commence on 31st of March at the O2 Arena in London, and will be promoted by British promotional outfit Boxxer while Sky Sports will serve as the main broadcaster of the event.
The domestic heavyweight bout had been anticipated for nearly a year after the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) ordered Fabio Wardley (17-0, 16 KO’s) and Frazer Clarke (8-0, 6 KO’s) to face each other. However, in a bizarre set of circumstances, Clarke pulled out of the purse bid that was set to determine which promotion would stage the fight―thus leaving doubts as to whether the heavyweight match ever occurring at all.
However, the fight will now commence―as confirmed by a press release from Boxxer―and will see Wardley defend his BBBofC and Commonwealth titles in what may be one of the most anticipated British heavyweight showdowns in years.
The importance of such fights cannot be more understated, with the likes of Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24 KO’s) and Tyson Fury (34-0-1, 24 KO’s) having progressed to become world champions after defeating their domestic rivals in such a high-stakes match. The magnitude of these match-ups are driven by the expectations of the winner to eventually rise to become a genuine world title contender or even a champion―judging by the path of the aforementioned British heavyweights.
Both Clarke and Wardley sport undefeated records with high KO percentages to at least make for an entertaining spectacle match that will undoubtedly highlight British heavyweight boxing. Though there can only be one victor, it is not rare for both competitors bouts to often carry their experience into more significant fights that help them develop into becoming top heavyweight contenders.
Joe Joyce (15-2, 14 KO’s) and Daniel Dubois (20-2, 19 KO’s) proved this following their 2020 bout which saw Dubois work his way up to eventually challenge Oleksandr Usyk (21-0, 14 KO’s), while Joe Joyce was in reach of a similar opportunity when he won the WBO interim heavyweight title following a win over former heavyweight world champion Joseph Parker (34-3, 23 KO’s).
Fabio Wardley will go into the match as the favorite following his performance in a domestic rivalry bout against David Adeleye (12-1, 11 KO’s) in a match just as significant as his upcoming against Clarke. Wardley further carries the greater experience with seventeen fights on his resume as opposed to Clarke’s eight. Additionally, Wardley has fought better opponents than Clarke has been matched with throughout his career.
While all odds appear stacked against Frazer Clarke, the heavyweight has shown relative knockout power and still has the skills he developed during his amateur career to potentially neutralize Wardley. However, despite Wardley’s own lack of a prevalent amateur background, the British heavyweight has developed both outside and inside the ring and proven his growth by soundly defeating and stopping Adeleye; an opponent that carried more amateur experience than him.
Despite the one-sided nature of the fight suggesting Wardley will emerge as the winner, the two heavyweights will undoubtedly put up a spectacle of a fight to once more remind the boxing world that British heavyweights are a force to be reckoned with within the sport of boxing.
