British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley 17-0-1 (16) has reflected on his 12-round split draw against Frazer Clarke 8-0-1 (6) at the O2 Arena in London, England on Sunday night.
In a competitive fight that saw lots of spirited exchanges and swings on momentum, the 29-year-old Wardley was cut across the bridge of the nose in the early going while Clarke, 32, was down in the fifth. Clarke was also docked a point in the fifth for a low blow.
When the final bell rang the judges scores were 114-113 Wardley, 115-113 Clarke and 113-113 even. If Clarke could have avoided either the knockdown or the point deduction, he would have claimed the victory.
After the bout Wardley admitted it was the toughest fight of his career.
“It’s not an ideal way to box. It’s not an ideal way to fight. It definitely takes some years off your life and worries the people around you, so it’s not something I’m planning to do too often,” Wardley said.
“But ultimately there’s value in it. Knowing that it’s there, knowing that I did it over 12 rounds, went through the fire to try and get him out of there. They’re big boxes ticked.
“That fight was one for the books. That British title brings out a lot in people, and definitely between me and Frazer, it brought out the best in us. One for the history [books], because we know how much that belt means to people and how much it means to people and means to us. We put on a hell of a show.
“My nose has seen better days. It’s not broken. I’ve had a scar on there for a while now that keeps opening up. It’s not the most helpful in the middle of a fight but it’s not broken. It’s perfectly fine.”
Wardley added: “He knew that heart was in me. I’m from the same cloth that he is. I’m built the same way he is. He’s been in those wars and he’s come up and I’m going through them as well.
“Mine was going to come sooner or later, and I don’t want to be in too many more of them – I’ve probably knocked off a few years of my life for that. But it’s all in the name of a good bit of fun.”
Fans and pundits were salivating over the prospect of a rematch after witnessing the best all-British heavyweight showdown in decades.
“It’s an option, isn’t it? The fans are probably going to ask for that. I’m never going to count a draw as a win, but I’ve still got my belts and there’s still a lot of options on the table for me to look around,” Wardley said.
“Whether it be the rematch, whether it be other options, whether it be something else. We’ll take some time and then we’ll reassess.”
