Fabio Wardley insists that it is “way too early” to write off Frazer Clarke’s future as a professional heavyweight – and also that he is capable of proving so against Justis Huni on Saturday night.
The 34-year-old Clarke enters Saturday’s contest, at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the undercard of Tyson Fury-Arslanbek Makhmudov, off the back of two damaging defeats in three fights.
His opponent, Australia’s 27-year-old Huni, is also fighting for the first time since his first defeat.
The first of Clarke’s two defeats was inflicted via stoppage by Wardley, and in even more dramatic and concussive fashion than the knockout Wardley inflicted on Huni eight months later in June 2024.
That he has since also lost to his fellow Englishman Jeamie Tshikeva means that after a lengthy amateur career he has been dismissed as incapable of rebuilding – he has appointed a new trainer in Joe Gallagher – but Wardley, the heavyweight who perhaps knows each fighter best, strongly disagrees.
Wardley first fought to a 12-round draw with Clarke before recording his first-round knockout of him and then later stopping Huni in 10. He considers the draw to have been his most physically testing fight, and Huni, technically, to be the toughest he has faced.
“Technically, [with] my brain almost being a bit confused, it was Justis Huni,” Wardley told BoxingScene. “From a war of attrition, it was definitely Clarke.
“It’s a fantastic fight. Credit to both men as well, for taking it off losses, throwing themselves back in the deep end, and proving that they’re real boxing men that want to test themselves against the best and that also believe in themselves. It’s a fantastic match-up, stylistically, and great for the winner to go on and throw themselves back into the top end of that division.
“[Clarke has] grit; determination; heart; everything you saw from him that he proved in the first fight with me. Sometimes an amateur background, that ABA background, can lead you down a repetitive path, maybe, but Justis Huni comes from a similar background. A bit different, stylistically, but the same kind of background. Maybe it won’t be such a factor in that fight. Who knows?
“[Huni’s strengths are] his agility; hands and feet; putting his punches together; combinations; in and out; his footwork, and just balance. Timing, and knowing when to throw and when not to. Sometimes he can get caught – like you saw in my fight, it can change things for him. His punch resilience is maybe not as high as some other heavyweights. But that aside, he’s got minimal weaknesses.
“We’ll find out on the night [how much Clarke has left]. A change of trainer; a change of gym; gym environment… me moving to Ben Davison’s gym, I know how much it can improve you; how much it can do for you. It’s way too early to say he’s finished. If he comes back with a fantastic performance, him and Joe Gallagher might have gelled together, we might go ‘Oh my God, look at him – he’s back’. Give him the moment; give him the time; let’s see how it goes and then we’ll go from there.”
Clarke’s fellow Englishman Wardley defends the WBO heavyweight title against Daniel Dubois at Manchester’s Co-op Live on May 9.
“I’m basing this on the torrid time I had with Justis Huni, I’m edging it to him,” Wardley responded when asked for his prediction. “Stylistically he’s a hard match-up for any heavyweight in the division. But Frazer’s got a different IQ in terms of amateur style and dealing with people like that before, so he may be more familiar like that than I was, with me having to figure it out on the night.
“But it’s still very close. I would say Huni on points.”
