Bloodied and battered British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley retained his titles after a thrilling split decision draw against Frazer Clarke at London’s O2 Arena.
Wardley’s career-best stoppage of David Adelaye to win the belts in his previous fight had him coming in as a the betting favourite against Clarke, the bronze medallist from the Tokyo Olympics who has underwhelmed during his early days in the paid ranks.
The 32-year-old hadn’t read the script as he damaged Wardley’s nose and banked the early rounds working off an educated jab.
But Wardley, a heavy-handed product of the white-collar scene, battled his way back into th contest as he buzzed and dropped Clarke in round five. The challenger was again forced to regroup as he was docked a point for low blows in the seventh.
Wardley facial damage extended to a right eye almost swollen shut, although his remarkable force of will against an impressive but exhausted Clarke meant the could not be separated down the stretch. A rematch would be big business in the UK.
DOWN GOES FRAZER CLARKE! 😯
Fabio Wardley lands a left then a right to, huge moment in this fight! 🙌#WardleyClarke pic.twitter.com/oxD3RbcmMl
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) March 31, 2024
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Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke fight card
- Fabio Wardley (c) vs. Frazer Clarke for the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles
- Chris Kong def. Florian Marku (UD 10); welterweights
- Viddal Riley def. Mikael Lawal (UD 10) to retain the English Cruiserweight title
- Alen Babic def. Steve Robinson (TKO 6/10); heavyweights
- Callum Simpson def. Dulla Mbabe (KO 4/10); super middleweights
- Ben Whittaker def. Leon Willings (PTS 8); light heavyweights
When is Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke?
Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke is on March 31. The main card starts at 6 p.m. local time, or 1 p.m. ET, with the main event scheduled for around 10:15 p.m. local time, or 5:15 p.m. ET, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
Region | Date | Main Card Start Time | Main Event Ring Walks (approx.) |
USA and Canada (ET) | Sunday, March 31 | 1 p.m. ET | 5:15 p.m. ET |
USA and Canada (PT) | Sunday, March 31 | 10 a.m. PT | 2:15 p.m. PT |
UK and Ireland | Sunday, March 31 | 6 p.m. BST | 10:15 p.m. BST |
Australia | Monday, April 1 | 4 a.m. AEDT |
8:15 a.m. AEST |
How to watch Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke
Region | TV channel | Live streaming |
USA | — | Peacock |
Canada | — | TBA |
UK and Ireland | Sky Sports | — |
Australia | — | TBA |
The fight will air on Sky Sports in the U.K. and Peacock in the U.S.