Fabio Wardley claims that Frazer Clarke cannot box any better than he did in their brutal first fight.
Wardley retained the British heavyweight title after he and Clarke fought to a draw earlier this year. But the champion maintains that he can make the changes he needs to win when they rematch on October 12 – and that Clarke can’t.
His own performance in their first fight, Wardley suggested, “was probably a six, seven out of 10 from me”.
But he thought that still “took Frazer to the absolute depths and the absolute best you could find of him”.
“So do I think he’s got much more left in the tank? I don’t think he’s going to pull out too many more new tricks,” Wardley told Sky Sports News.
“I don’t think he’s got too many more of those in his locker. That pushed him to the brink, that fight pushed him to the edge. Me, I’m still young and fresh and I’m still learning in every fight. There’s a lot I took from that fight and there’s a lot I can carry into the next one.”
The judges could not separate the pair after the 12 hellacious rounds they shared in March. Wardley is adamant that will not be the case second time around. Now he insists he has realised what he must do to win.
“We’ve watched the fight back, me and the team, over many times and there are a lot of little adjustments that need to be made. Nothing too heavy. I fought a pretty good fight. It wasn’t the best you’ve seen of me but I fought pretty well,” he said.
“But there’s some small adjustments we can make along the way. Overall I was relatively happy with my performance. I almost got him out of there a number of times and got him down.
“In certain moments I rushed it. So taking my time when I had him going and picking my shots a bit better,” he concluded. “There’s some tweaks that need to be made but I think we’ll get the job done this time.”
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Dillian Whyte believes Fabio Wardley beat Frazer Clarke ‘by two rounds’ and gives his views on a potential rematch between the two heavyweights.
Their first fight was a heavyweight thriller, on course to be best of the year and the best that’s been seen in a British ring for many years.
He promises that the second can be just as exciting. “I think everyone knows what they’re going to get. I think it’s going to pick up from where we left off in the first fight and just carry on through round 13,” Wardley said.
Wardley and Clarke’s views on their own fight profoundly differ. But they agree on another British heavyweight prediction. Clarke, as a GB boxer, used to train with Anthony Joshua at the English Institute of Sport and today Wardley and AJ work out of Ben Davison’s gym.
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Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke show the respect between each other following the draw in their heavyweight clash last night.
Both Clarke and Wardley think that Joshua will overcome Daniel Dubois to win the IBF heavyweight title on September 21, live on Sky Sports Box Office.
“AJ at Wembley [Stadium], it’s normal for him. You look at the resumes, the people AJ’s been in with and beat,” Clarke told Sky Sports.
“But does Dubois have a chance? 100 per cent when you hit like Daniel Dubois hits. Other than David Price, he’s probably next in line of hardest that I’ve ever took a shot off, the strongest puncher.
“I think he can give a good account of himself and he’s going to go in expecting to win.”
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Watch highlights of Fabio Wardley’s draw with Frazer Clarke as the Ipswich-based fighter retained the British and Commonwealth heavyweight championships at the O2 Arena in London.
Wardley similarly sees Joshua coming through. “A massive UK dust up, two big British heavyweights for a world title, which is fantastic,” he said.
“Where it stands right now, I’m giving it to AJ. The form he’s back on or found himself in at the moment, he’s looking really dangerous and spiteful. Really boxing with intent.
“I think he seems really comfortable in his gameplan and the way he’s boxing at the moment and how he and the team are putting it together and how it’s going to come off for him.
“So confidence is a lot and I think he’s the man with that at the moment.”
Watch Anthony Joshua vs Daniel Dubois live on Sky Sports Box Office on September 21.