Frazer Clarke Leaves Angel Fernandez, Trialling Joe Gallagher

[Ruthless-RKO]

FRAZER CLARKE LEAVES ANGEL FERNANDEZ, TRIALLING JOE GALLAGHER

Frazer Clarke has kicked off a trial with potential new trainer Joe Gallagher after splitting with Angel Fernandez.

The British heavyweight contender suffered the second defeat of his career when he dropped a split decision after 12 brutal rounds with Jeamie TKV in Derby on November 29.

Now Clarke (9-2-1, 7 KOs) has told The Ring he has parted ways with Fernandez as he attempts to get his career back on track in 2026. The Burton man had been working with the Loughborough based coach since he turned professional in late 2021.

But he has decided to seek pastures new after deciding he wants ‘more experience’ in his corner. That has led him to Gallagher, the Manchester stalwart who has trained numerous world champions across more than two decades at the top. It is understood that they are still working through an initial trial but Clarke is already feeling at home at Manchester’s legendary Champ’s Camp gym.

Clarke told The Ring: “After my last fight I just felt like I needed a change and some more experience in my corner.

“Angel taught me a lot of things in our time together but it came to a point after taking that particular loss [to TKV] that I felt I needed someone different, a different voice.

“I needed to freshen things up and I felt like I needed to be in a team environment again. I was the only fighter in my previous gym so I wanted to switch that up.

“So I’ve been training with Joe Gallagher for the last couple of weeks and I’ve really enjoyed it. Just being around the stable, with different fighters, it has been more of a vibe and it’s something that I’ve really enjoyed so far.

“I came out of Team GB after 15 years as part of a squad where I really flourished so it’s good to feel like I’m back in that kind of environment again. It feels like an environment that will really bring the best out of me, which is what I need.”

Clarke and TKV clashed in the main event of Boxxer’s first ever show on BBC but the Burton man failed to deliver the performance he had promised. And, given he drew and lost to Fabio Wardley in his first two attempts to win the British heavyweight title during 2024, he has now failed in three cracks at the Lonsdale belt.

So 34-year-old ‘Big Fraze’ wasted no time in making his decision to leave Fernandez and insists his split was an amicable one.

He said: “We spoke about my decision and I have nothing but thanks for Angel. He was quite understanding about it and there were no hard feelings there. Now it’s time to move onto a new chapter and it has gone well so far.

“Once I made the decision I was thinking of a few different people and Joe got mentioned to me. I like him a lot, he is very straight talking and I needed some home truths. I’ve been in there two weeks now and I’ve definitely had my fair share of them already.”

Although things have been going well so far, Clarke is yet to officially make the move to Ring Magazine's 2015 Trainer of the Year, Gallagher. After taking a break for Christmas and New Year with his family, Clarke is now plotting a path back to the ring within the next four or five months which means he will likely land on one of the Boxxer shows planned for April 4 or May 2.

“In my last fight I went off the game plan and made it into a brutal fight,” Clarke added. “The advice from doctors is to not return until April so that’s the date I’ve got in my head now I’m back training.”

His promoter Ben Shalom is confident that Clarke, who won bronze at the delayed 2020 Olympics, is capable of working his way back towards the top of a bustling domestic heavyweight scene.

He said: “It was a terrible performance last time out. He came out gung-ho and fought the fight in a way that he shouldn't have and Jeamie did extremely well. But Frazer, performance-wise, was not what you would expect from an Olympian, from a fighter that's shown that he can mix it with the top guys. He'll have to make a big change, but he wants to make a big change.

“You could tell from his performance that something wasn’t right. It was the worst I’ve seen him box and he has to take that on himself. He'll make whatever changes he needs, but ultimately, it's got to come from himself. We'll see what it's like when he comes back but I've got full faith that he will come back in a big way.”

[Carlos Slim]

I was screaming at the telly all throughout that fight 'keep it loooooooooong whaddellareyadoing' he could have won that convincingly if he had done it. If Clarke is reading this, get back on track, get a rematch, use your jab, reach and footwork and bring back that title.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Frazer Clarke insists there's 'better to come' after Huni defeat

Frazer Clarke believes that there is “better to come” after losing a majority decision to Justis Huni on Saturday night.

The closely contested heavyweight battle took place on the undercard of Tyson Fury’s victory over Arslanbek Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

On Tuesday, it was announced that an estimated five million UK viewers tuned into Netflix to watch the two-time heavyweight champion return to the ring.

After taking a couple of days to let the disappointment sink in, 34-year-old Clarke (9-3-1, 7 KOs) took to instagram to share his thoughts on both the fight and his future plans.

“Didn't get the result I wanted, unfortunately. Close but no cigar and in this game, if you're not first, you're last. So, yeah, not a great feeling. Never will be, I’ll never get used to losing,” he said.

“But a lot of positive feedback off people, you know. A lot of messages talking about the performance and how it was a lot better, which I know. And I still know that there's better to come yet, if I'm honest.”

After a disappointing British title defeat to Jeamie TKV in December, Clarke left Angel Fernandez and joined up with The Ring’s 2015 Trainer of the year, Joe Gallagher, in Manchester.

Clarke admitted that he initially struggled to get upto speed in the highly competitive gym but threw himself into his task and jumped at the chance to face Huni (13-1, 7 KOs).

He tipped the scales at 259 pounds - his lightest since his professional debut - and will be hoping to roll one camp directly into another and continue building. “I felt good going into it. We worked really hard in the gym. Myself, Joe Gallagher and everyone really in the Gallagher's Gym,” he said.

“They pushed me along the way and helped me. Great fight week, great team effort and we've only been working together since January, really.

“The more time we spend together, me and Joe, and being in that environment, I'm only going to get better. But yeah, like I say, it sucks. I'm not by no means celebrating a loss, but what I will say is I feel the best is yet to come. I know every fighter says that, but I really do.”

After complimenting Huni’s performance, Clarke restated that he wants to continue fighting at a high level and indicated that he hopes to be back in the ring soon.

“I'll keep going. I'll keep working hard because that's what I do and like I say, we'll see what's around the corner and hopefully some big fight news again soon. I've been assured there will be.

“Let the good times roll.”

[jameswilson]

If he comes in at that weight then providing age isn’t catching up with him I reckon he can do something in the division.

I think he could give Riakkporh a decent fight.

[SeanBrennan]

Glad he’s carrying on he’s clearly training properly under Gallagher hope he wins a British title

[My T Sharp]

He did well against a top-20 fighter

[coneye]

No doubt about it Blind Freddy could see the improvement in Fraser, working with Gallagher is certainly good for him ,, However i think he's left it too late , both turning pro and finding the right trainer ,

[Controversial]

I thought he looked in decent shape against Huni

[KiwiRider]

He's 34.
Maybe there are improvements to be made, the Huni fight was a much better performance.
Unfortunately something went in the two Wardley fights and I don't think it's coming back.

He doesn't have long enough to make a world championship bid time-wise, the division just moves too slowly. Maybe a British title could be on the cards, but I worry about the damage he has already sustained, and if it's even worth it now from a health perspective.

[margaret thatcher]

He's 34.
Maybe there are improvements to be made, the Huni fight was a much better performance.
Unfortunately something went in the two Wardley fights and I don't think it's coming back.

He doesn't have long enough to make a world championship bid time-wise, the division just moves too slowly. Maybe a British title could be on the cards, but I worry about the damage he has already sustained, and if it's even worth it now from a health perspective.

i dont think hes good enough to do much on world level - i mean he lost to jamie tkv ffs - but 34 isnt THAT old for hws these days. there have been many top hws in recent years near 40

[Taansend]

Big Fraze needs to move on from being a boxer.

[KiwiRider]

He's 34.
Maybe there are improvements to be made, the Huni fight was a much better performance.
Unfortunately something went in the two Wardley fights and I don't think it's coming back.

He doesn't have long enough to make a world championship bid time-wise, the division just moves too slowly. Maybe a British title could be on the cards, but I worry about the damage he has already sustained, and if it's even worth it now from a health perspective.

i dont think hes good enough to do much on world level - i mean he lost to jamie tkv ffs - but 34 isnt THAT old for hws these days. there have been many top hws in recent years near 40

I initially thought he could be a contender (maybe not a champion) when he first turned pro, he was a bronze medalist and had a style I thought was well suited to the pro game.
And now we know how dangerous Fabio is, Big Fraze did really well in the first fight, but the second one was devastating. He hasn't shown the same level since those fights.
And that is why I'd like to see him sail off to something new besides boxing.
He ain't no defensive genius, so staying in the game means a lot more punishment.
Why do that if you can't recapture what you had?