Fabio Wardley and Fraser Clarke’s first fight was so bloody it made boxing draws sexy again.
In a sport that desperately needs clarity on champions, rankings and decisions, a shared round – let alone an entire fight – usually causes an uproar among fans.
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Draws usually mean the champion or hometown favorite has been escorted by questionable officials, just ask Marvin Hagler, Pernell Whittaker, Nigel Benn, Lennox Lewis, Gennady Golovkin and Tyson Fury.
But when 29-year-old Wardley, from Ipswich, goes to battle against the 33-year-old Burton behemoth at the O2 on March 31, ringside rap star Kano was also approving of the decision.
The thrilling and gory violence of late night was worthy of a Top Boy episode.
And thankfully, when the scorecards were read – one judge favored Wardley, one chose Clark and one chose a draw – the reaction was much less threatening than the fight had been.
Scorers at BoxRec, boxing’s online Bible, agreed and the fight was tied 113-113.
And, unlike most close or controversial decisions these days, there was no talk of an alternative path, no plan to step back, no plan to go another route to the world title.
All roads lead to a rematch and the only detail that needed attention was the time and date.
The time is Saturday and – sadly for fans who were looking forward to attending Wardley’s all-English battle for the British title – the venue is Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
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The reason is money, as is always the case when something is uprooted from Europe and thrown into the desert.
But it’s a prime example of why Saudi Arabia’s slugfest slush fund is a good thing for the most important people: the fighters.
Those boys bled and suffered injuries in 12 painful rounds for our entertainment. He got paid well for this by Sky Sports and Boxxer.
But they will increase their earnings in a big way by racing in the sand dunes again.
And no one can re-watch the first fight and complain that both brave men weren’t going where the money was the most.
If the fight were taking place in Russia, Palestine, Israel or Northampton – as long as the two heroes were maximizing their earning potential while risking their health and lives – it would make no difference to those lucky enough to be watching. Were.
The slow-moving Wardley played the bullseye on the 19th 2020 Olympic bronze medalist from the first bell until it finally looked like a piece of meat straight out of a butcher’s box.
The Suffolk puncher – who started his career in a recruitment office before a few white-collar fights found him addicted to boxing – brought himself into the contest by staggering his opponent with big shots in the second.
But Clark landed his honey punch at the end of the second, landing an uppercut over Wardley’s guard and leaving his nose bleeding.
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But in the fifth round, Wardley’s sharp right hand robbed Clark of his edge and his senses and he hit the deck for the first time in his career and needed eight seconds to recover.
Wardley’s experienced and proven corner did wonders to clean up his nose between rounds and help his man defeat Clark.
And the former security guard didn’t help himself when he deducted a point in round seven for a hat-trick of low blows.
Clark stopped dropping points in the final part of the fight, but blood continued to leak from the broken bridge of Wardley’s nose – referee Steve Gray called for the ringside doctor to check it in round ten.
And that scar tissue will be a target again this weekend as Clark tries to finish the job.
In the final two rounds, both men looked completely exhausted, devoid of energy, ideas and escape routes.
But they dug deeper and thankfully heard the final bell and reached Saudi oil.
There are always plenty of issues in boxing to lament, ignore or shut down.
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But this fight – on the undercard of the spectacular undisputed light-heavyweight decider between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol – is not one of them.
Pay your money, fill up the sofa and watch two big brave English boys make the country proud again.
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