Saturday in Saudi Arabia will see British heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley defend his championship against Frazer Clarke, seven months after the two fighters battled to a brutal draw in a modern-day classic.
In a bout that was a strong contender for fight of the year, the two surprised the London O2 Arena audience by responding to critics and revealing just enough weaknesses.
Although the outcome was decided by a split vote, neither man intends to give it up to the judges again.
Clarke, 33, tells Sport, “We’ve found a good dance partner in each other but I plan on knocking him out spectacularly.”
“After I knock Frazer out, I will put myself in the higher echelon of fighters who are fringe world-level,” the 29-year-old Wardley from Suffolk continued.
The highly awaited undisputed light-heavyweight fight between Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev in Riyadh will take place on the undercard of the rematch.
Both teams were given the go-ahead to compete for the British title in April 2023, but on the day of the purse bids, Clarke’s team withdrew, sparking a public feud between them that lasted for the following 12 months.
When they did share the ring on Easter Sunday, it was determined by judges’ decisions and narrow margins between Wardley’s ferocity and Olympic bronze champion Clarke’s technical skill. However, Wardley-Clarke proved to be worth the wait.
