Wardley Considering Options For A World Title Fight Over Rematch With Clarke
Fabio Wardley is exploring the option of boxing for a world title instead of a potential rematch with Frazer Clarke.
Wardley and Clarke fought out one of the best domestic fights in recent times when they collided for the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles on March 31. The fight that was labelled “Bad Blood” had plenty spilled; both gave everything until the final bell.
The three judges scored a draw, and a rematch would inevitably prove popular, but Wardley is considering other options.
“Look, I think I'm sixth with the WBO, 10th with the WBA, 15th maybe with the WBC,” the 29 year old said. “I'm in the mix for all of them to be honest. So this is the other question in terms of obviously when people ask about the rematch and stuff.
“The other question is do I follow those routes? Do I try and track down one of [the world titles]? The belts are soon to fragment – do I want to position myself into trying to fight for a world title? So I've got options. So we're going to assess and see what's best for me.”
Wardley has been a free agent since his separation from Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn. His former promoter recently suggested Johnny Fisher as an alternative opponent for the defending champion, but Wardley thinks it’s too soon.
“I think Johnny's a great guy, good friend of mine and he's got a lot of talent, he's got a lot in him, so he could be in the mix of us,” he said. “I don't think he's there just yet. I wouldn't like Eddie [Hearn] to over-push him and push him too far. I think he needs to go through a couple of proper fights; proper tests; be in with a real competitor. Someone with ambition; someone who's really up for it; really game; ready to go.
“Because you don't want to get into the mix with the likes of me and Frazer [Clarke] who have been through wars and stuff and then you find yourself in the deep end and it's uncomfortable for you. So someone like Johnny [Fisher], still a young lad, there's absolutely no rush to push him. I think he could mix with us, but I think it would be a smarter decision to kind of edge him in a bit more.”
Wardley has worked his way up from small hall shows to headlining at the O2 Arena, but did not come through the traditional amateur route. He instead found his way into the sport through white-collar boxing, competing in four contests, and winning them all by knockout.
“I just fell into it,” said Wardley. “It was the gym I joined – it was a white-collar gym. They were just boxing, doing boxing classes and bits and bobs. And the guy who owned the gym used to put on white-collar shows. And I was two or three months into training and he said, ‘Look, do you want to do a show? Do you fancy it?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, f*** it. I'll have a go’.
“And then, yeah, it just kind of, that's when the rollercoaster took off, really. I remember distinctly when I got my hand raised for the first time and I thought, ‘Yeah, this is the feeling, this is the one, I've found it, this is the mark’.”
Wardley is one of the few white-collar fighters to make a successful switch to professional boxing, but hopes that his success will inspire others to make the transition.
“That’s the whole plan of this, that’s the whole objective behind all this,” he said. “To be the kind of white light that people can look towards; the one people can look up to and go, ‘You know what? Fab’s done it.’ And my big thing is, if you love the sport of boxing, if you care about it, if you want to do well in it, you can succeed in it.
“That option via white-collar is there for you. You have to do a lot of things; you’ve got to stay committed along the way, but it’s there for you all the same.”
