Frazer Clarke will reportedly not face Fabio Wardley next despite purse bids got his British Heavyweight title challenge being just a day away.
Wardley was ordered by the British Boxing Board of Control to defend his belt against Clarke, a former Olympian who has built up a 6-0 record as a pro.
Clarke recently told IFL TV that conversations with his team hadn’t been ‘all positive’ about the fight – he didn’t specify if this was management, promotion, or both. He also emphasised that he wanted the fight no matter how things played out.
“Where we’re at is I would love that fight next. Frazer Clarke the fighter, the boxer, wants that fight next. Make no mistake about that. You heard it from the horse’s mouth – I want that fight.”
“You might be able to tell from my voice, you might not – it’s not been all positive this week, some of the conversations.
“But I want that fight. I’d like to be fully supported by the people that are supposed to support me going into that fight. At this moment in time, I’m not sure whether that is gonna happen.”
Today, International Boxing News announced that Clarke would return on BOXXER’s June 10 card at London’s York Hall to face Harry Armstrong, a 5-3-1 heavyweight from Torquay. He was last out February – a decision loss to Jeamie ‘TKV’ Tshikeva.
Clarke tweeted then deleted the word ‘deflated.’ He has previously showed frustration at his matchmaking.
Recently, he told fans that he was happy to skip a fight in the interim to go straight in against Wardley for the title, but later also said that he would remain mandatory whatever was decided.
Upon hearing of the as-yet-unconfirmed Armstrong fight, Wardley branded Clarke a coward.
Defeated & deleted pic.twitter.com/pVIqq59k9x
— Fabio Wardley (@Fabio_Wardley) May 9, 2023
Purse bids for the fight are set for this Wednesday May 10.