Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke Serve up An All-British Heavyweight Classic

On Sunday, March 31, Fabio Wardley (17-0-1, 16 KOs) and Frazer Clarke (8-0-1, 6 KOs) in their all-British heavyweight clash fought to a brilliant back-and-forth draw in the main event on the Boxxer Promotions Bad Blood card at the O2 Arena in London. The entire card was broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK and Peacock in the U.S.

Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke Serve up a Classic

Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke Recap

The crowd were in a raucous state as they belted out Sweet Caroline as the main event neared. Once the fighters made their way to the ring, it was time for the headline bout. The opening round began with Clarke using his jab well before he landed a well-timed right hand. Wardley seemed content to try and get his distance right in the first round. The second round saw the Ipswich man start as the aggressor, firing in big hooks, which Clarke took well. The Burton-on-Trent native landed a good uppercut before Wardley ended the round well, landing a big right hand.

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Over the next couple of rounds, Clarke showed his impressive boxing fundamentals, as he picked his shots well, but Wardley had some success when he let his hands go and showcased his speed. Round 5 saw Wardley rock “Big Fraze” before he unloaded with both hands before a lead right knocked him down. The Ipswich fighter enjoyed a strong sixth round, using his jab well and picking his punches. Clarke had a point deducted in the following round – in what was a strong round for him otherwise.

As we entered the championship rounds, Wardley appeared troubled by the cut on his nose, with Clarke the more measured, picking his punches well. Round 10 was a classic round, with Wardley checked and cleared by the doctor, bit down on his gumshield and hit Clarke with several big shots. It seems the Ipswich man is finding it hard to see, but his bravery and instincts saw him continue to come forward.

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A tight round 11 saw Clarke land a good right hand. Wardley‘s face was covered in blood with his eye nearly closed, but he somehow summoned something from the depths to end the round, landing some good shots on Clarke. The final round saw two fighters exhausted before “Big Fraze” landed a big shot, which the Ipswich man somehow survived and fired back.

The final bell sounded for what was an unbelievable advert for British boxing. Two warriors who gave it everything, and what a fight this was. The judge’s scorecards read 114-113 Wardley, 115-112 Clarke and the final card read 113-113, with this classic heavyweight bout declared a draw.

What a spectacle! 👏

A fantastic finish to what was an absolute battle in the ring 🙌#WardleyClarke | Now | @SkySportsBoxing | @peacock pic.twitter.com/nmliP7VGop

— BOXXER (@boxxer) March 31, 2024

Undercard

Chris Kongo (15-2, 7 KOs) produced a career-best performance to defeat Florian Marku (13-1-1, 8 KOs). Kongo boxed superbly on the back foot, putting his combinations together impressively, frustrating his opponent. The judge’s scorecards read 96-94, 96-93, and 98-92 all in favour of “2Slick.” 

The 2020 Olympic silver medallist Ben Whittaker (7-0, 5 KOs) overcame a tough, dogged Leon Willings (7-2, 2 KOs), winning by unanimous decision with the referee scoring the bout 78-73.

Viddal Riley (11-0, 6 KOs) defeated Mikael Lawal (17-2, 11 KOs) to retain his English cruiserweight title. Riley showed impressive lateral movement and put together good combinations, which the judges agreed with as the scorecards read 98-92 and 99-91 x2.

Callum Simpson (14-0, 10 KOs) impressed in his fight against Dullsa Mbabe (34-14-1, 29 KOs), winning by fourth-round KO. Next on the agenda could be an all-British bout against Zak Chelli for the British title.

Alen Babic (12-1, 11 KOs) defeated Steve Robinson (6-3, 4 KOs) by a sixth-round TKO, with the referee calling the fight off after several unanswered punches from the brave Robinson.