Olympic bronze medallist Frazer Clarke saw his career-best night end rather disastrously on Saudi shores earlier this month and after the initial shock — surgery, well-wishes as well as accepting a lengthy rehabilitation process — had dissipated, the 33-year-old insisted he’s mentally up for the challenge once more after a R1 KO defeat by Fabio Wardley. Will his body follow suit?
Wardley wades forward, Clarke left to rebuild in a tough spot
Round 13. FABIO Wardley persistently promised this and while some were quietly cautious, the end result was dramatic as he chained together a concussive sequence of punches to end an eagerly-anticipated domestic rivalry with Frazer Clarke emphatically on his sophomore showing on a Riyadh Season show in Saudi Arabia.
He broke Clarke’s cheekbone in the latter stages of an otherwise unremarkable opening stanza, seven months after their thrilling 12-round split draw headlined an Easter Sunday bill with BOXXER and Sky to wide acclaim from many in the sport.
Having since called for a step-up as he looks to bridge the gap between domestic and world honours before long, the Ipswich man aligned himself with Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions at precisely the right juncture as the new crop of heavyweight standouts – headlined by stablemate and IBF world titlist Daniel Dubois – all jostle for position to prove themselves as the division’s top dog.
Clarke will, as this past week in Birmingham showed, not shy away from the spotlight while recuperating physically from a devastating defeat that would’ve forced others to seriously consider retirement. Once that’s even in your thought process, it rarely ends well and especially in the heavier weight classes.
The mental scar tissue though, remains a relative unknown: an experienced fighter and smart boxing mind aware of the pendulum when it comes to juggling the sport’s dangerous highs and damning lows has experienced this upclose — Richard Riakporhe in June, Anthony Joshua bested three months later — both friends suffering contrasting but nonetheless painful losses during finite careers.
As expected, Clarke dismissed the idea of seeking advice from a psychologist to help him come to terms with such a damaging first pro defeat.
As quoted by BoxingScene, he said: “The honest answer is no. I’m a fighter, probably naïve and was up until the moment. It’s happened to so many champions over the years, never think it’s going to be you.
I’ve been injured, had broken cheekbones before and got another one now. I’ll get past, get through this no problem. I’ve got another check in with the medical staff in a few weeks.”
Clarke’s decade-long amateur seasoning means he cannot afford to endure a long rebuilding program and – given how frustrating his early professional journey was – you can bet he won’t want that either. Being a gatekeeper-type opponent for prodigious youngsters to build their name off isn’t exactly an ideal scenario and while he has a ceiling, there’s something to be said about silencing doubters.
A comeback fight against live opposition, domestic or European, would be of interest. None of the eight previous foes really whet the appetite for anything besides rounds, including upcoming Johnny Fisher opponent Dave Allen last September.
Wardley all but confirming in the aftermath he’d be vacating British honours now in search of loftier ambitions is an important distinction, given how competitive matters remain on the UK heavyweight scene below him with Clarke among that crop.
English champion Solomon Dacres vs. David Adeleye has been rescheduled for December, the winner of that being immediately thrust towards highly-rated teenager Moses Itauma while Fisher and Jeamie Tshikeva are among other hopefuls.
“I’ll get over this, it’s part-and-parcel of my job and I knew that going into it. My pride is hurt but I’m physically fine, mentally up for the challenge once more. I’ve got a few more people to prove wrong now,” Clarke said in a quote that will serve to now kickstart an even more pivotal 2025 roadmap. How will he fare?
Picture source: Getty Images, quotes hyperlinked
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