If you are an avid watcher of boxing, you’ll probably admit to falling into a familiar trap. It is easy to become desensitised at times, with violence gradually beginning to bring a strange mundanity. When Frazer Clarke was knocked out by Fabio Wardley in October, many fans were freed from that trap, although freedom felt rather frightening.
As Clarke’s eyes glazed over, and the heavyweight’s crushed cheekbone collapsed into itself, a stark reality was rendered: this sport hurts, it is dangerous, and it is unforgiving. And if you were one of those to have felt that unnerving quease in the aftermath of Clarke’s first-round defeat by Wardley, imagine – if you can – how Clarke’s family felt.
“For my close family, it was a bit of a reminder,” the Olympic bronze medalist tells The Independent. “So far for them, going to watch me fight has been a night out in Manchester or London – a day in London, lovely.
“Fabio 1 was a little bit scary, obviously some dodgy moments,” he says, recalling his March 2024 draw with his fellow Briton, in which Clarke hit the canvas. “‘Oh, it’s a little bit real, but he didn’t lose, it’s alright.’ But the second fight: ‘He’s in a hospital bed, having brain scans, he’s got a fractured cheekbone.’
“But that’s the reality of it, that’s what I know. Every time I get in the ring for a sparring session or a fight, I take that responsibility into my hands. I’ve got no issue with that. You can’t look around at anyone else – not trainers, not f***ing physios. You’re the one in there, you’ve got your two hands, and I owned it like a man. I always will.”
Clarke admits that the manner of his loss, the first of his professional career, required proper processing.
“I felt like I was the best version of myself ever, going into that fight,” says the 33-year-old, “so I was just gutted I never got to show everyone that. I felt like a mix between Floyd Mayweather, Mike Tyson, Muhammad Ali, Larry Holmes, George Foreman – all rolled into one, mate. That’s how I felt.
“It was just a mistake that cost me dearly. I’d never take nothing away from Fabio; what a fantastic shot and win for him. I tried my best to fight back, I really did, and at that point, there were about four of him in front of me. The writing was on the wall, I was scrambling. I ended up over the top of the ropes, and I thought the referee was coming to save me because my back was turned. I turned around, and bang, I got nailed.
“If anyone loses in this sport and finds it easy to [deal with], you really shouldn’t be doing it. It was difficult. There were some dark times, yes. When it’s one of the ‘knockouts of the year’ and I see it flash up on Instagram and YouTube, is it hard to watch? Absolutely. But has it put me off? Not one bit.
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“If I could’ve boxed already, I would’ve. But my body did need a bit of a rest, after years and years of training and the Olympic cycle. I couldn’t box because of the injury, and my head probably wasn’t where it needed to be to go into a training camp. Time is a great healer, and being around good people is a good healer.”
Among those people was Joseph Parker, the former world heavyweight champion who is enjoying a career resurgence, and with whom Clarke has sparred in recent months. Parker was due to challenge IBF title holder Daniel Dubois in February, but the latter withdrew due to illness, leading Parker to box and knock out Martin Bakole on two days’ notice.
According to Clarke, the New Zealander and his team likely don’t realise how much they helped him to move on from October’s loss. “I owe them a lot,” Clarke says, “and they won’t even know it, because they weren’t doing anything in particular for me, but it really helped.”
Those sparring rounds will have served Clarke well not only mentally but also physically, as he prepares to return to the ring this Sunday. On the undercard of Ben Whittaker’s rematch with Liam Cameron in Birmingham, Clarke will take on Ebenezer Tetteh.
The Ghanaian, 36, has lost just twice, and to elite opposition. In 2019, he was stopped by Dubois, and last year, he retired against Dillian Whyte.
“I’m fully respecting him, he’s coming to win,” Clarke says. “Don’t think for one second I’m going in there thinking this is a walkover. Easter Sunday, this ain’t the resurrection of Jesus, this is the resurrection of Frazer Clarke.”
