There was a time when the British heavyweight title was a big deal, a time when the man holding the belt was pretty much a household name on these shores. From the days of Henry Cooper to the days of Lennox Lewis, the British belt and the men fighting for it attracted a whole lot of fan attention.
This Sunday in London, at The O2, a fight will take place that will, at least temporarily, bring back some of the glory British heavyweight title fights used to enjoy on a regular basis. Fabio Wardley, unbeaten at 17-0(16) will defend the belt (with the Commonwealth title also on the line) against former Olympic medallist Frazer Clarke, unbeaten at 8-0(6).
And fans, fellow fighters, and pundits are excited about the upcoming fight. Seen by most as a genuine 50-50 affair, Wardley versus Clarke should prove to be a memorable battle, an exciting battle. Both men are supremely confident, and Wardley for sure feels he will win by KO. Wardley came up fighting white-collar bouts, while “Big Fraze” of course won a bronze in 2020 in Tokyo. Wardley is the younger man by three years at age 29.
So, who wins and how?
Former cruiserweight champ turned pundit Johnny Nelson, speaking with Sky Sports who will televise the fight on Sunday, said Wardley-Clarke is right up there with massive British title fights like Lennox Lewis against Frank Bruno, and Lewis against Gary Mason.
“Fabio Wardley versus Frazer Clarke is a great domestic fight. We haven’t seen anything like this for quite a while,” Nelson said. “I’m talking Frank Bruno-Lennox Lewis, I’m talking Gary Mason-Lennox. We’ve not had an even fight for a British heavyweight title for quite a while. I love this fight. I think it’s a tough fight for both.”
Neither Lewis-Bruno nor Lewis-Mason went the distance and the feeling is Sunday’s fight will not reach the final bell either. But again, who wins?
Pick: Wardley overcomes some rough spells as he extends Clarke into the later rounds, where Wardley gets the stoppage win.