Unbeaten heavyweight rivals Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke collide in a ‘Bad Blood’ showdown for the British and Commonwealth Titles on Sunday, March 31st at The O2 in London, live on Sky Sports in the UK and Ireland and Peacock in the USA.
Reigning champion Wardley (17-0, 16 KOs) is on an incredible 16-fight KO streak, which has seen him steamroll his way through the domestic division. The 29-year-old from Ipswich looked at his devastating best last time out when dismantling David Adeleye on the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou undercard on October 28th in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Bronze Medallist Clarke (8-0, 6 KOs) is just eight fights into his promising professional career. Last year, ‘Big Fraze’ banked ten valuable rounds against former world title challenger Mariusz Wach before retiring domestic rival David Allen in the sixth-round to continue his unbeaten run.
Wardley and Clarke have been on a collision course as both men look to establish themselves as the number one heavyweight in Britain. Their simmering rivalry reached boiling point following a cancelled purse bid last year.
Clarke was ordered as mandatory challenger for Wardley’s Lonsdale belt in April but was later withdrawn from purse bids. The fallout sparked a series of tense exchanges between the warring heavyweights and has added serious spite to their Bank Holiday Super Sunday showdown.
Fabio Wardley said: “I’m absolutely buzzing to be headlining what will be a massive show at the iconic O2 Arena, I’ve fought there a lot before so it’s like a home away from home for me. As a seasoned former Olympian, Frazer Clarke is definitely the most well-schooled boxer I’ll have ever faced, but there’s some lessons you can’t learn in school… And I've got more than enough firepower in my arsenal to lay him flat on his back, just like all my other opponents.”
Frazer Clarke said: “Finally, the fight that I wanted and the fight that the British public wanted. The talking is over, it’s here. Headlining the O2 Arena for the British and Commonwealth Titles is something I’ve dreamed of. I’m ready to take out Fabio Wardley and bring the titles back to Burton upon Trent. There’s been a lot of back and forth but now we can settle it like men.”
“The Bad Blood needs to be settled,” said BOXXER founder and CEO Ben Shalom. “We’re more committed than ever to making the biggest domestic fights for British fight fans and I’m excited for BOXXER to deliver a British heavyweight classic on March 31st at The O2. After the outrage last year, this fight has been one that has been really important to make, with fight fans desperate to see it. I'm really happy to deliver the opportunity to Frazer Clarke against Fabio Wardley who is a dangerous man and a great champion.”
Wardley vs Clarke will top an action-packed fight card in the capital with undercard fights to be announced soon.
Having faced off in the ring before Joshua Buatsi and Dan Azeez’s light heavyweight final eliminator, Wardley and Clarke will come face-to-face again at a launch press conference on Wednesday, February 7th in London.
