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Frazer Clarke and an unhealthy relationship with the British heavyweight title
Third time’s a charm.
That is the hope for Olympic bronze medallist Frazer Clarke tonight when he faces Jeamie TKV for the vacant British heavyweight title in Derby .
It will be the start of an interesting era for promoters Boxxer who were beginning a new broadcast deal with the BBC which brings the sweet science to the terrestrial broadcaster for the first time in 20 years.
The bout was originally set to take place last month, but an injury picked up by TKV in training resulted in a postponement, resulting in Clarke encountering another stumbling block in his quest to win the British heavyweight title.
As the clock ticks towards the opening bell at Valiant Live, Clarke will be wanting to end what has been a torrid pursuit of the Lonsdale belt.
Frazer Clarke fails to win British title in two attempts against Fabio Wardley
After winning bronze at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021, Clarke turned professional and became a part of an exciting domestic heavyweight scene. Time was of the essence and eight wins between 2022 and 2023, including a stoppage against Dave Allen , propelled Clarke to British heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley in March 2024.
The encounter at London’s O2 Arena was a Fight of the Year contender. A classic heavyweight matchup, trading blows, momentum constantly swinging, ended in a draw.
Cue a rematch, this time in Riyadh.
The first fight with Wardley proved that Clarke could give a good account of himself on a British level and when the going got tough. Building on these foundations would put him in a strong position to settle the score against one of heavyweight boxing’s most inform fighters.
Instead, it could not have gone any worse for Clarke. Two minutes in, a Wardley right hand opened the floodgates. The Ipswich man landed at will with the decisive blow coming with 38 seconds remaining in the first round. His jaw rearranged, Clarke was in no position to continue and for someone who needed the British title to springboard himself to the upper echelons of the heavyweight division.
After coming so close to winning the Lonsdale belt seven months prior, it vanished as soon as Wardley’s final right hand landed.
Suffering a defeat as punishing as Clarke suffered in the Wardley rematch could prompt thoughts about whether to continue in boxing. If you are unable to succeed at British level, then the glitz and glamour that comes with heavyweight boxing is a pipedream.
Clarke however is no stranger to battling for every opportunity. His amateur career was littered with setbacks, most notably being overlooked for the Rio 2016 Olympics despite winning at the super heavyweight test event.
He has since come back from the loss to Wardley with a first-round stoppage against veteran Ebenezer Tetteh in April and once more, the British heavyweight title is on Clarke’s radar.
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The Lonsdale belt has already served Clarke numerous peaks and troughs, and he will be hoping to silence the critics who doubt whether he can indeed be a worthwhile contender at the top level.
No doubt the postponement for his encounter with TKV will brought a sense of hopelessness for Clarke. Would he ever get the break he needs to fulfil his potential?
Tonight, all his attention will be laser focused on winning the title that has eluded him.
However, if he fails to have the British heavyweight title wrapped around his waist, then maybe it’s time to reassess and wonder whether it is ever meant to be with the Lonsdale belt which has spawned so much chaos whenever ‘Big Fraze’ is involved.
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