Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke | Sky Sports - 31 March 2024

[margaret thatcher]

bit surprised clarke is favoured here, i know he was a good am but he hasnt impressed me at all as a pro and was already looking gassed in a 6 rounder vs soko (and 6 is the most rounds he's done)

wardley has flaws and i dont think he'll ever be world class, but i see him as a smoother boxer with power too. type who could win a euro title without being a world level threat. like kabayel

[cormack]

wardley will have too much movement for the ploddy clarke and just wear him down .
if the fight even happens that is .

[Ruthless-RKO]

[veriton]

Very telling. Clarke is being made to look a fool here and Hearn came out of it well. What has Shalom seen that makes him think he can't win this fight?

[maverick23]

I don’t think Shalom has helped Clarke here. Coming out and saying they’re beyond British level, he can fight for the British title whenever they want and that they’ll fight for the British at the right time. Essentially making people think they might swerve it.

Clarke then has to do an interview with Boxing King saying that Ben’s shown his inexperience and that he had to call him to put it right isn’t a good look.

All this is doing is making the fight bigger and making it one that neither Matchroom or Boxxer will want to lose.

Both seem like good blokes. I think Wardley will take it but Clarke is a tough bloke. Watched one of his fights with Joyce in the ams and whilst he clearly lost he never stopped coming forward and trying.

[gregregegg]

Bens comments are weird, almost feel it’s purse bid kind games… make Ed think he isn’t interested so Ed tries to lowball it and sky can win it at a profitable price… Mabey I’m over reading it.

[KiwiRider]

Just shut up and fight!
Blah blah blah...
It's a good fight for both of them, and for the fans.
Time for Frazer to nut up, or shut up.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Frazer Clarke Questions Team’s Support Ahead Of Fabio Wardley Fight

It was the first sign though that things may not go ahead as ordered. Clarke told IFL TV that, for his part, he was all in.

“Where we’re at is I would love that fight next. Frazer Clarke the fighter, the boxer, wants that fight next. Make no mistake about that. You heard it from the horse’s mouth – I want that fight.

The purse bid is on Wednesday. It sort of leaves my control. I’ve let it be known to the people on my side of the table that I want the fight. Now what they do with that is up to them.”



The heavyweight – whose amateur career dwarves Wardley’s white collar background but is less experienced in the pro ranks – went on to speak cryptically about conversations surrounding the fight not being ‘all positive.’

“You might be able to tell from my voice, you might not – it’s not been all positive this week, some of the conversations.

But I want that fight. I’d like to be fully supported by the people that are supposed to support me going into that fight. At this moment in time, I’m not sure whether that is gonna happen.

For people that know me, people that don’t know me, I want to fight Fabio Wardley. I will fight Fabio Wardley not a problem in the world.”

Purse bids are set for Wednesday May 10, and this will paint a much clearer picture. It’s understood that if Wardley’s side win, his promoter Eddie Hearn will look to stage the fight at Portman Road Stadium.

[ashall2]

Shalom is useless.

Adam Smith’s absence will be important too.

[mickey1975]

No way will they put this on in a stadium.

[Ruthless-RKO]

No way will they put this on in a stadium.

Promoters love to mention stadium fights.

[maverick23]

No way will they put this on in a stadium.

It wouldn’t surprise me if they try Portman Road. Obviously won’t be full but would mean a lot to Wardley and if prices properly could sell fairly well.

[maverick23]

This is a real bad look for Boxxer I think. They petition the board to make Clarke mandatory and it now seems like they’ll be swerving it despite it not being what Clarke wants.

Clarke should be the boss here telling his management and promoter what he wants and they should be trying to deliver it. It’s clear he wants it and he’s confident about it too. He put on Twitter ‘deflated’ earlier and then deleted it which is either a double bluff or a sign they’ll be swerving it.

After the criticism of his first couple of opponents and this now it’s not a good look for a team that should all be on the same page.

I’m expecting to see Clarke’s fight for June 10th announced in the next 48 hours and Shalom giving the reason for the swerve as that he already had a fight lined up. Despite them asking for the Wardley fight.

[margaret thatcher]

well, harry is certainly a fitting name. look at the chest on that sexy beast

but seriously, da fuk

[ashall2]

No way will they put this on in a stadium.

Promoters love to mention stadium fights.

I really don’t get it. Stadium fights are crap. Any half decent fighter has 5 fights and it’s ‘can’t wait to headline *insert shite Championship/League 1 team* stadium’.

[Ruthless-RKO]

No way will they put this on in a stadium.

Promoters love to mention stadium fights.

I really don’t get it. Stadium fights are crap. Any half decent fighter has 5 fights and it’s ‘can’t wait to headline *insert shite Championship/League 1 team* stadium’.

Yeh. Literally.

It’s probably a way to get football fans behind them from their own City. Keep mentioning the clubs name and stadium.

The local news websites then run articles mentioning it as well. They get invited to the stadiums.. etc etc.

[mickey1975]

No way will they put this on in a stadium.

It wouldn’t surprise me if they try Portman Road. Obviously won’t be full but would mean a lot to Wardley and if prices properly could sell fairly well.

Thaxton said the one he had round there (Carrow Road) was a disaster and cost his backer a fortune. Obviously I know Eddie can afford it…. He didn’t bid for Beterbiev-Smith like a man determined to go to Anfield.

[maverick23]

No way will they put this on in a stadium.

It wouldn’t surprise me if they try Portman Road. Obviously won’t be full but would mean a lot to Wardley and if prices properly could sell fairly well.

Thaxton said the one he had round there (Carrow Road) was a disaster and cost his backer a fortune. Obviously I know Eddie can afford it…. He didn’t bid for Beterbiev-Smith like a man determined to go to Anfield.

I didn’t remember Thaxton’s one but I think it’s a different era now and more competitive with promoters wanting to outdo each other.

I’d guess that they could do 10,000 for Wardley/Clarke if the tickets aren’t priced crazily.

I didn’t think Anfield could hold fights this summer due to work being done on the stadium? Either way I was surprised Eddie didn’t go a bit higher on his offer. I bet he wishes he did go a little higher now too.

[handsofstone]

I get Clarke's frustration, it's not the first time or even second time Shalom has put him in with someone far below the level of someone his amateur pedigree should be fighting but he should've nipped this in the bud first time it happened, Shalom and Clarke had the perfect template in Joe Joyce to follow, both highly decorated amateurs but getting on in years but Boxxer don lt seem to be entirely convinced about Clarke yet

Also Clarke tweeting "deflated" then deleting is a bit of a pussy move, stand by your stance man

[ashall2]

Promoters love to mention stadium fights.

I really don’t get it. Stadium fights are crap. Any half decent fighter has 5 fights and it’s ‘can’t wait to headline *insert shite Championship/League 1 team* stadium’.

Yeh. Literally.

It’s probably a way to get football fans behind them from their own City. Keep mentioning the clubs name and stadium.

The local news websites then run articles mentioning it as well. They get invited to the stadiums.. etc etc.

True. My mates a massive Sheffield Wednesday fan and has zero interest in boxing but regularly says ‘can’t wait for Dalton Smith to fight at Hillsborough’

[maverick23]

https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/1 ... itle-fight

Doesn’t bode well for purse bids.

If they have made Wardley a substantial offer then add Clarke’s minimum to it and that’s the purse bid.

I’m waiting for purse bids to be cancelled tomorrow morning now.

[TheLeprechaun]

Clarkes been managed very carefully because he is limited. Maybe they think they can pick up a belt but Fury is going to stall out the division for as long as possible fighting cans and I don't think Clarke can beat Usyk. He's getting on a bit too. Maybe they would rather lose in a cash out fight. Losing to Wardley is going to do his career before it's started. I think they have to gamble though. Win the Wardley fight spectacularly and you never know what can happen.

[Ruthless-RKO]

One of the strangest recent stadium fights was surely BJS at Lamex Stadium on Stevenage.

[maverick23]

Clarkes been managed very carefully because he is limited. Maybe they think they can pick up a belt but Fury is going to stall out the division for as long as possible fighting cans and I don't think Clarke can beat Usyk. He's getting on a bit too. Maybe they would rather lose in a cash out fight. Losing to Wardley is going to do his career before it's started. I think they have to gamble though. Win the Wardley fight spectacularly and you never know what can happen.

I’d get that and he is limited but it’s his own team that asked to fight Wardley for the British. Now they’re implying they only want to do that on their show/channel in 4 months time after Clarke has another fight.

Clarke was an excellent amateur, probably had over 100 wins, medalled at the Olympics, Europeans, won the. Commonwealths. Whilst Fabio had a handful of white collar fights.

I’d love Clarke to refuse to walk away from the fight and let it go to purse bids. It’s embarrassing for him and his team in the way it’s been handled in that Clarke has had to come out and say his promoter has shown his inexperience and even still they’re not aligned.

[handsofstone]

Wardley's been relentless on Twitter today as well, I must've seen a 100 retweets from him slaughtering Clarke, hopefully it forces his and Shalom's hand