Fabio Wardley Calls Out Frazer Clarke for Abandoning Their Fight
Disappointment is the word to describe the news that a battle will not happen between unbeaten heavyweight Frazer Clarke (6-0, 5 KOs) and Fabio Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) for the British heavyweight title. No one is angrier about the situation than Wardley and his promoter Eddie Hearn.
Clark – Wardley was highly anticipated in British boxing circles. The bout was on the verge of going to a purse bid. But at the last minute, Team Clarke decided to pull out of the bout. Upon hearing about that decision, Hearn took to social media to express his disgust.
OUTWARDLY FRUSTRATED
Wardley shares the outrage of his promoter. In an interview with UK’s iFL TV, the 28-year-old said the following about Clarke and his camp:
“The buck lies with Frazer. It falls and ends with him . . . Ultimately, he has to be the final person to go, ‘no, I’m not doing this’.”
Boxxer guides the career of Clarke. While Wardley feels that Frazer had the final say, he thinks that Boxxer also played a significant role.
“I feel annoyed with Boxxer and the way they’ve handled the situation so poorly because it feels like they’ve known for a while that they didn’t want to go to a purse bid. So, if you’ve known that, then pull out earlier and let us make other plans. Don’t let me, Ed (Hearn), Matchroom, the team, waste our time.”
Clarke won Bronze at the 2020 Olympics games and turned pro in February 2022. He’s coming off a second-round stoppage over Bogdan Dinu on March 25.
The fight with Wardley was a step up in class. But many British insiders felt that the 31-year-old is ready for the challenge that Wardley would have presented. Here’s the irony. Team Clarke was the one who was pushing for the fight. So, their change of heart has many scratching their heads.
Clarke is to fight on June 10 against Harry Armstrong, which was to be a tune-up bout for Wardley. That’s no longer the plan. As of this writing, it’s unclear whether Clarke and Boxxer will revisit a fight with Wardley for the British heavyweight crown.
