Fight fans who were looking forward to seeing the battle of unbeaten heavyweights, Frazer Clarke and Fabio Wardley, this for the prestigious British heavyweight title, have been left hugely disappointed. And no-one is more disappointed, or angry, than Wardley’s promoter Eddie Hearn.
The two sides, Hearn of Matchroom for Wardley and Ben Shalom of BOXXER for Clarke, were to have entered purse bids today, yet at the last minute, to the surprise of everyone, Shalom pulled Clarke out of the fight. Shalom did say, upon the Clarke-Wardley fight being officially ordered to take place by the British Boxing Board of Control, that he would have preferred to have seen Clarke, 6-0(5) take another fight before facing Wardley.
That said, Clarke himself was adamant he wanted the Wardley fight. Now, the fight off for the time being, perhaps for good, who knows, Hearn has taken to social media to lay into Shalom and vent his frustration:
“Heard from the BBB of C that BOXXER has pulled @BigFrazeBoxer out of the @Fabio_Wardley purse bid today. What a complete joke and a waste of our time. Robbing the fighters of opportunity and the fans of a brilliant fight. Shambles,” Hearn wrote earlier today.
It’s tough at this stage to disagree with what Hearn has said, and it will be interesting to hear what Shalom has to say, as will it be interesting to hear what Frazer has to say. Why has Shalom pulled his man out, this from a fight that was ordered by the BBB of C?
Wardley, 16-0(15) who was looking forward to the fight the way Clarke was – not to mention the fans – has responded to the surprise news with the following tweet:
“I cannot believe it!”
Apparently, Shalom pulled his man out a mere ten minutes before purse bids were due to take place.
Wardley-Clarke would have been a fascinating fight, the match up seen by many as a genuine 50 50 affair. Who knows if we will get to see it now?
Heard from the BBBofC that Boxxer has pulled @BigFrazeBoxer out of the @Fabio_Wardley purse bid today. What a complete joke and a waste of our time. Robbing the fighters of opportunity and the fans of a brilliant fight. Shambles.
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) May 10, 2023