The rematch between British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley 17-0-1 (16) and Frazer Clarke 8-0-1 (6) could take place on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s next fight at Wembley Stadium in London, England in September.
Clarke and Wardley delivered an all-British battle for the ages when they met over 12 rounds at the O2 Arena in March, slugging their way to a split decision draw by scores of 115-112 for Clarke, 114-113 for Wardley and 113-113.
Clarke had to fight his way through adversity in the mid-rounds after he was dropped in the fifth and had one point deducted in the seventh or repeated low blows. Still, he managed to navigate his way to the final bell and kept his unbeaten record in tact.
A second fight between the pair has been talked about ever since.
“I can’t tell you too much, but what I can tell you is there are deep conversations going on and it’s just the little nitty-gritty bit now,” Clarke told Sky Sports.
“It shouldn’t be too long and I think we’re about there, and hopefully we’ll have good news for British fight fans. The general sense is everyone enjoyed it, so hopefully we can give these guys entertainment once again.”
Former two-time unified heavyweight champion Joshua 28-3 (25) has no opponent lined up for his next fight, but the shortlist includes interim IBF titleholder Daniel Dubois 21-2 (20) of England, Chinese southpaw Zhilei Zhang 27-2-1 (22) and ex-WBO boss Joseph Parker 35-3 (23) of New Zealand.
Dubois, 26, appears to be the frontrunner after impressively stopping previously undefeated Croatian Filip Hrgovic 17-1 (14) on cuts in eight rounds at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last weekend.
The addition of Clarke-Wardley II would make a tasty co-main on the proposed September 21.
“It’s definitely a possible option [on the AJ undercard], but I think we both did ourselves a favour in the performance last time where we both have options,” Clarke continued.
“That is definitely a massive one and may be a frontrunner, but we could headline our own show, we could go on an undercard – the possibilities are all there.
“There are talks going on every day and sooner or later we’ll come to some sort of agreement and I’m sure we’ll have it on before you know it.”
And if it’s not Wardley that Clarke fights next, he still has other options.
“I’m open to options [if it isn’t Wardley next], but I think my days of fighting people who are turning up to survive are done,” he said.
“I need a challenge, I need people who are coming to win, so I’m only looking up and that’s people who are ranked higher than me and I want to get right in that mix, and mix it with the best of them.
“The division’s quite busy at the minute and I’ll have to see what everyone else does, but I’m ready to get ready to fight, so let’s just hope I get a date for myself soon. Whether that’s Fabio or not, I just want to be in competitive fights.”
