Wardley vs Clarke Predictions: Fabio has too much for ‘Big Fraze’

Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke will share the biggest fight of their respective professional careers on Sunday March 31. The unbeaten big men will contest Wardley’s British and Commonwealth crowns in a O2 Arena sizzler live on Sky Sports Arena. Here are my Wardley vs Clarke predictions ahead of a fight they’re calling ‘Bad Blood’.

Big men from this fair isle are all the rage these days. Busting the stereotype of “the horizontal British heavyweight” from decade’s past, this country has led the way in the banner division in recent years. 

Tyson Fury is the reigning WBC and lineal heavyweight champion. Anthony Joshua has enjoyed two reigns with the unified WBA, WBO and IBF straps. Daniel Dubois recently gave a good account against the current holder of those titles, Oleksandr Usyk. Joe Joyce beat several ranked heavies before running into Zhilei Zhang. Derek Chisora was still enough of a factor to get a shot at Fury a couple of Christmases ago. Dillian Whyte headlined Wembley against ‘The Gypsy King’ earlier that same year.

There is one other British big man who, while not receiving the hype and prestige of his colleagues, also occupies space in the rankings of all four major bodies. Fabio Wardley is yet to lift world gold like Fury and ‘AJ’ or have his name in stadium lights like Whyte and Chisora. But the 29-year-old is very much a star on the rise.

The reigning British and Commonwealth champion aced what was supposed to be his toughest test last time out. The Ipswich man knocked out fellow unbeaten David Adeleye in seven rounds as part of the ‘Day of Reckoning’ card in Saudi Arabia in December. An impressive performance on the biggest boxing card of 2023 put eyeballs on Wardley and started tongues wagging that perhaps Britain had another heavyweight to watch.

Frazer Clarke was expected to fit into the same category when he turned pro in 2022. ‘Big Fraze’ had won an Olympic bronze medal as an amateur, alongside a Commonwealth gold and countless National and European medals. While he was turning over late, at the age of 30, it was thought that Clarke had all the tools to excel in the professional ranks.

It would be churlish to claim he hasn’t, but it has been a qualified success. Clarke’s 8-0 record, with six knockouts, has largely been accumulated against journeymen. There is nothing unusual about that early in a fighter’s career, but Clarke has struggled at times against this lowly level of opposition.

The news isn’t all bad. Clarke’s level of competition has improved in recent fights. Mariusz Wach challenged Wladimir Klitschko for the unified world title, albeit a decade ago. Clarke pitched a shutout against him on the cards. Popular warrior Dave Allen succumbed in six rounds in Clarke’s last bout. After criticism for his listless displays against no-name opposition, the results are finally coming for Clarke.

Securing a result against Wardley would take some doing though. The champion is faster than Clarke and hits harder. He was wiped out 16 of his 17 opponents, with his sole decision win coming in a four-rounder on his debut. Clarke is more well-schooled in the classical boxing sense, but Wardley is more attuned to the pro game. 

For this reason, I think the champion will retain his titles here. Clarke can box and against countless former British champions, he would be going home with the belt. But the Olympian is unfortunate enough to meet a rising heavyweight who has all the tools to beat him. Clarke has never had his durability tested, but I think it will hold. I see ‘Big Fraze’ hearing the final bell, but losing a decision in doing so. It’s a brave 5/1 shout considering Wardley’s power, but I feel Clarke can hang in there.