Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke went to a hard-hitting 12-round draw back in March, but today’s rematch didn’t come close to the distance, as Wardley blitzed Clarke and knocked him out in the first round.
With the win, Wardley again retains his British heavyweight title, which he’s held since 2022.
Wardley (18-0-1, 17 KO) dropped Clarke (8-1-1, 6 KO) in the corner late in the opening round, and Clarke was clearly gone there, with the referee making the correct call to stop the fight and get medical attention to the heavyweight, who did appear to be OK and was able to come over and congratulate Wardley when all was said and done.
Wardley, 29, is an interesting wild card in the heavyweight division, someone who has learned on the job as a legitimate professional after starting out in white collar boxing and finding out he had a sincere knack for the sport.
With his power and athleticism, he can cover up for some of the obvious flaws of not taking up boxing earlier in life, and while it would be a stretch to throw him in with true world class guys, Clarke isn’t some scrub, either; we’re talking about an Olympic bronze medalist with a wealth of high-level amateur experience, and Wardley just crushed him in this one after battling him tooth-and-nail the first time around.
“I’ve got dynamite in each hand. I know once I hurt someone I can get rid of them,” Wardley said. “I want belts, I want titles. These look great and stuff, but I want the ones that say ‘world champion.’ Whoever else is hunting them, we’re going to have to meet here.”