WBO heavyweight titleholder Fabio Wardley has spoken of his admiration for former foe Frazer Clarke following Clarke’s game defeat against Justis Huni last month.
Many had written off the former GB Olympic bronze medalist Clarke. Having gone 12 furious rounds in a draw with Wardley, the Ipswich, England, man then scored a horrifying first round KO against Clarke in the rematch.
Two fights on, and the 34-year-old Clarke – now 9-3-1 (4 KOs) – was upset by Jeamie TKV.
However, Clarke pushed Huni in a hard fight at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, losing a majority decision but breathing new life into his career. Wardley was impressed.
Wardley also holds a big knockout victory over Australia’s Huni, now 13-1 (7 KOs), in a fight he was losing decisively before pulling out an extraordinary right hand to turn the fight around.
“I don’t think I’ve spoken to [Clarke] since,” Wardley said. “I spoke to him a little bit before, and kind of wished him well, and [said I] hope he won, and hope he comes through on it.
“You always want to support a Brit versus someone who’s not, but it was a funny one, watching those two guys in the ring that I’ve faced. Frazer showed an incredible amount of resilience. Sharing those first 12 rounds with him, it was something I was well aware of, what a strong man and strong character he was. But to bounce back from losses, things not going your way and all the expectation that falls on your shoulders after the Olympics and things like that, to have the grit, will and determination to keep going … And I know he said even since that fight, ‘I don’t care [about the critics], I’m still going. Don’t write me off yet, there’s still more for me to do.’
“I can’t credit him enough to have that resilience, because it takes a lot to look down inside yourself and keep it going. I’ll always be rooting for him in some context and I’ll always be wanting to see him do well.”
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, a BWAA award winner, and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
