Saudi kingpin Turki Al-Alshikh has taken over the sport of boxing over the last 12 months, putting together astonishing clashes that could have passed us by given the nature of the sport in previous years. However, what was impressed fans just as much is the quality of the undercards that have been crafted by the newfound catalyst of the fight game and he appears set to deliver once again, with an intriguing heavyweight battle set to don the upcoming Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol bill.
In one of the fights of the year thus far, Fabio Wardley made a second successful defence of his British heavyweight title by the skin of his teeth, battling to a draw in a bloodied yet beautiful Easter Sunday showdown against Frazer Clarke at the O2 Arena.
An Olympic medallist challenger against a relatively inexperienced champion made for a test of both will and skill and a brilliant showcase of the importance of the Lonsdale belt. Although, a deducted point for low blows proved all too costly for Clarke – who would have been victorious had his punches not ventured below the waist of Wardley.
Immediately, there was hunger for the pair to meet again, despite bad blood turning to mutual respect during the aftermath, but the brutal reality of the scrap meant that both men needed a deserved break.
Almost five months on and Wardley-Clarke II is now in the pipeline once again, only this time on an even bigger stage, as the British Boxing Board of Control confirmed that an agreement has been reached for the second instalment of the domestic dust-up.
“FABIO WARDLEY (Holder) v FRAZER CLARKE
Following agreement being reached by both parties, the above contest will be promoted on a date and venue to be advised.”
Meanwhile, respected journalist Dan Rafael has revealed plans for Wardley-Clarke II to take place on the undercard of Beterbiev-Bivol in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as per Everything Boxing.
As I reported a couple of weeks ago, the likely home for the Fabio Wardley-Frazer Clarke rematch is the October 12 Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol undercard.
Now also reported in @DanRafael1's latest notebook 🔽 https://t.co/RlteN0FJthpic.twitter.com/Q5MSamEkax
— EverythingBoxing (@EverythingBoxi2) August 16, 2024
“A rematch has been discussed since and is being targeted to take place on the undercard of the Artur Beterbiev-Dmitry Bivol undisputed light-heavyweight title fight on Oct. 12th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a source with knowledge of the plans told Fight Freaks Unite.”
Bizarrely, this will be the second time that Wardley has defended the British title in the Middle East, after initial confusion as to whether the belt should be up for grabs was concluded with a knockout win over David Adeleye back in October.
In terms of world rankings, the rematch between Wardley and Clarke also has permutations, as Wardley is positioned within the top 12 with all four sanctioning bodies, whilst Clarke remains unranked.
Consequently, a victory for ‘Big Fraze will not only see him claim the coveted British and Commonwealth straps, but it will also see him soar up the rankings and likely bank himself a place on the lucrative Al-Alshikh cards that are expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
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