In what is now considered to be one of the most astounding events to occur outside the boxing ring, the withdrawal of BOXXER fighter Frazer Clarke from his mandated bout with free agent Heavyweight Fabio Wardley has sparked an even greater mystery; Clarke is now scheduled to face fellow Brit Harry Armstrong, who currently holds a record of 5-1-1 (including 0 KOs). The two have been arranged to meet in the ring on June 10th at York Hall in London.

Frazer Clarke’s (6-0, 5 KO’s) upcoming opponent represents a significant step down from Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KO’s) whom he was mandated to fight by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) approximately a month ago. Clarke, 31, is known as one of the most decorated British Heavyweights in amateur boxing history and seemed set to translate his amateur achievements to professional boxing when he made his pro debut last year in February.

However, the progression of the heavyweight’s career appears to be stalling with the recent announcement of his fight against Harry Armstrong on June 10th. This news follows BOXXER’s withdrawal from the purse bids for the Wardley-Clarke matchup.

This change of events highlights the fact that BOXXER had no intention of complying with the BBBofC’s mandate for their fighter to face Fabio Wardley, despite BOXXER head Ben Shalom claiming Clarke was eager to face Wardley in the ring this year.

“He’ll want to fight for a British title this year no doubt. Hopefully earlier than later.” Ben Shalom had said in an interview with Sky Sports roughly two months ago.

When Fabio Wardley was mandated to defend his British Heavyweight title against Frazer Clarke, it appeared that both fighters were prepared for the bout.. Clarke even held an interview with Sky Sports after the BBBofC’s order, confirming that he would fight Wardley.

“It’s a tough fight. Fabio’s doing everything that’s asked of him so far in his career. 15 knockouts of 16 fights, and I’m only 6 fights in, but I am more than confident going into that fight of knocking him out and doing a real job on him.” Frazer Clarke told Sky Sports.

“Doesn’t matter where it is. If we’re in the boxing ring, me and him, there’s one person coming out victorious and that’s me.“

After the teams of both fighters failed to negotiate an initial deal, as is usually the case, a purse bid was supposed to be held on who would promote the fighter, but that never occurred as BOXXER pulled out before the purse bid could commence ― which was set to occur on May 12th.

Shortly afterward, Harry Armstrong was announced as Frazer Clarke’s next opponent for the June fight. With his amateur pedigree, it was expected that Clarke would at least face a similar opponent as Bogdan Dinu ― who Clarke stopped this year in March. Armstrong is undoubtedly a step back when compared to Dinu who is regarded as a decent Heavyweight that trails just below the level of being considered a Heavyweight contender.

Frazer Clarke cannot be blamed for the situation, as he appeared eager to face Wardley and has even showed anger earlier in his career at the low quality opposition he had to face in the ring, specifically after stopping Pencho Tsvetkov (7-2, 5 KO’s). During the match, Tsvetkov clearly did not seem ready for Clarke after being blatantly outclassed in the first round which led to him being knocked down easily twice. Following the knockdowns, the referee quickly stopped the match to prevent further damage to a dangerously outmatched Tsvetkov.

“First of all, I want to apologize to everyone that came and paid good money to watch me. People have travelled up from Burton and all over the country, and I’m just gonna have to say that that’s unacceptable.” Clarke stated after his match with Tsvetkov.

“It’s not my fault, there’s nothing I could do about that.” Clarke continued, referring to the matchmaking that pitted him against an opponent that had seemed unwilling to fight.

“People have got to do better. And it’s as simple as that, really. I apologize to everyone that’s here. I apologize to the opponent (Tsvetkov). He shouldn’t be in the ring with me. It’s dangerous.“

The ‘people’ he referred to in his comments appear to be his matchmakers, which includes his promoter Ben Shalom, and Sky Sports who are also involved in the matchmaking process for BOXXER fighters. Judging by Clarke’s next opponent, the matchmaking has not improved in the slightest with Frazer Clarke now fighting an opponent that will likely not be able to match up with him just like Pencho Tsvetkov.

Aside from not being able to match Frazer Clarke with challenging opponents ― which does not help Clarke improve in the slightest, BOXXER/Sky Sports further put his opponents at risk by pairing them with a significantly better fighter in Clarke.

The reputation and standing of the promotion and broadcasting duo within the boxing world appear to be declining, which may come as somewhat of a surprise as the opposite was expected when their partnership was first announced in 2021. Despite their objective of ‘ensuring sustainable growth,’ the partnership has resulted in many prospects signed with BOXXER fighting against mismatched opponents ― such as seems the case with Frazer Clarke, while the more marquee fighters have put up performances that have been considered disappointing or underwhelming.

Considering the recent debacle of the Wardley-Clarke purse bid and the introduction of Clarke’s new opponent, BOXXER and Sky Sports now face the challenge of persuading the public that their fights are still worth purchasing.