Fabio Wardley will defend his British Heavyweight Title against Frazer Clarke no later than September of this year.
The defence has been ordered by the British Boxing Board of Control amidst an intriguing war of words between Ipswich’s Wardley and his domestic rivals.
On his longlist for opponents was promotional stablemate, Solomon Dacres, Queensberry man, David Adeleye, and BOXXER’s UK heavyweight, Frazer Clarke.
Despite a brewing beef with Adeleye, it’s Clarke who got the nod. The Board’s official order noted purse bids will take place on May 10 should a deal not be reached beforehand, and the fight to be scheduled for no later than September.
“The Stewards decided to put out the above contest to purse bids to be submitted in accordance with the terms and conditions to the Board’s Head Office by 12:00noon on Wednesday, 10th May 2023, the contest to take place by the end of September 2023.”
Wardley has moved up through the heavyweight ranks in quick fashion, only seeing the final bell once. He stepped up to his first twelve-rounder in November of 2022 to challenge Nathan Gorman for the vacant British title.
Wardley suffered a bloody nose that seemed to, not for the first time in his career, provide a shot of adrenalin to get him going. He scored two knockdowns in the second round and one in the third before a shellshocked Gorman was pulled from the contest by his corner.
Since then, the champion has beaten Michael Coffie via fourth round TKO.
After a long stint on Team GB and a bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, Clarke turned pro in February of last year. Since then, he’s had six wins – four of those stoppages – and has been calling for a step up in opposition.
This is the one fans want to see, and the BBBofC have went a ways to making it happen. The pair have entertained fans with back and forths online recently, and it’s yet another contest fit for a title that carries such history.