Tonight, on the Ricky Hatton-Marco Antonio Barrera bill in Manchester, 2020 Olympic bronze medal winner Frazer Clarke improved to 4-0 in his heavyweight pro career. Facing seasoned journeyman/sometimes upset-springer Kamil Sokolowski over a scheduled six rounds, 31-year-old Clarke won every round on the official card, 60-54. But Clarke was made to work hard, and afterwards, “Big Fraze” was not altogether happy with his performance.
Clarke is now 4-0(3). Sokolowski is now 11-27-3(4), and he has been stopped just 4 times.
36-year-old Sokolowski of Poland – who has been in with the likes of Dillian Whyte, Nathan Gorman, Nick Webb, Lucas Browne, Otto Wallin, and Bakhodir Jalolov – earned his wages as he took Clarke’s best shots and managed to land the odd few of his own. Sokolowski was swollen below both eyes, and he also suffered a cut under his right eye.
Clarke, a huge man, came out fast, but his work rate did fade some. Clarke fired in some hefty uppercuts, but Sokolowski has a good chin, and he showed it again tonight. Clarke looked like a fighter who wanted to make something of a statement by getting the KO or stoppage, but Sokolowski was too tough and too savvy for that. It was an entertaining scrap, but it was one that showed how much Clarke has to improve if he is to reach the heights he is aiming for.
After the fight, Clarke said he will be heading right back to the gym. “I got to show everybody a bit more [of my] repertoire,” Clarke said. “I didn’t want the six rounds, but I needed them. I need to get back to the gym, to work harder. It was great experience. If I was watching, I’d say there’s so much to build on. I will keep progressing; I’m just 4-0 and still learning the game.”
Honest and true words from tonight’s winner. It will be interesting to see who Clarke is matched with in his next fight. As for Sokolowski, he will continue to get good work for some time to come.