Frazer Clarke has emphasised his desire to face Fabio Wardley for the British Heavyweight title next, but hints at others on his team not being on the same page.
After some back and forth between the domestic rivals, the British Boxing Board of Control officially ordered them to fight, with Wardley (16-0, 15 KOs) defending the belt he won against Nathan Gorman late last year.
Despite both being up for it, Clarke’s (6-0, 5 KOs) promoter, BOXXER, announced that he would be on a card on June 10, baffling those involved on Wardley’s side. The fighter said it was not a problem to skip this, and it seems to have been scrapped.
It was the first sign though that things may not go ahead as ordered. Clarke told IFL TV that, for his part, he was all in.
“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.
The purse bid is on Wednesday. It sort of leaves my control. I’ve let it be known to the people on my side of the table that I want the fight. Now what they do with that is up to them.”
The heavyweight – whose amateur career dwarves Wardley’s white collar background but is less experienced in the pro ranks – went on to speak cryptically about conversations surrounding the fight not being ‘all positive.’
“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.
For people that know me, people that don’t know me, I want to fight Fabio Wardley. I will fight Fabio Wardley not a problem in the world.”
Purse bids are set for Wednesday May 10, and this will paint a much clearer picture. It’s understood that if Wardley’s side win, his promoter Eddie Hearn will look to stage the fight at Portman Road Stadium.