Frazer Clarke could be on a collision course with British heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley.
Clarke, who won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division at the 2021 Olympics, claimed her fifth victory on Saturday. He became the first man to stop Kevin Espindola when he beat the Argentine on the Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith undercard in Manchester.
Clarke is looking to get out of the six-round competition to get into the title race – and instead it’s Britain’s Wardley’s title.
Wardley celebrates his British title win
“That’s my goal, for the end of the year. “Me and Fabio know each other and everything is easy, but it’s a competition and I’m a competitor,” said Clarke. Sky Sports.
“We want to fight each other and test each other, and unfortunately there can only be one. He has something that I want, and hopefully I can put myself in a position to compete.”
Wardley is undefeated in 15 pro fights and recently stopped Nathan Gorman to win the Lonsdale belt.
But Clarke is a professional gymnast, an Olympian who has also won medals at other major competitions. That could make the difference in the fight against Wardley.
Frazer Clarke has good all round skills and a heavy punch
“Time will tell. I know what I’m capable of, I know what I’ve seen, and what I’ve done. He’s a good fighter, there’s no denying it. He won the British title very well – I was there. If you ask him, he’ll beat me and if you ask me, I’ll beat him. It’s easy,” said Clarke.
“It’s not a stepping stone because it would be a big fight, but it’s on my radar.”
Speaking on Toe2Toe podcast, Wardley accepted the challenge.
“There are a lot of good fighters out there,” he said. “Big fights are the name of the game, that’s what I want to be in.
“Having that beautiful shiny belt puts a shiny target on my back.
“I just want to be in good fights, in these good trials and I can come out feeling like I’ve put myself on the line there and I’ve been through the fire and come out on the other side.”
He didn’t say he wouldn’t fight Clarke later this year. “Obviously he wants to continue with this work and push forward. As he said himself, he needs a few more fights. He needs to step up a little bit. I think in the fights he’s had I don’t think he’s been particularly happy with his limited performance or even happy with his opponent, ” Wardley said of Clarke.
Clarke controls Espindola in Manchester
“So I think he needs to have some tests, test himself against the best opponents. I used to fight Eric Molina and people like that to test myself. Not the gatekeepers but the old wolves, smart in the game. People who have been around for a long time.
“The quality of his opponents recently has not been very high,” added Wardley.
“He has to push and get in someone’s ear and say I have to show what I can do and it’s difficult to do that against the opposition.
“You want somebody who’s coming up, who’s trying to put you in a position where you can show them other parts of your skills.
“You have to make a decision.”
