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It is time for Frazer Clarke to consider retirement after Jeamie TKV British title loss
The third time was not a charm for Frazer Clarke on Saturday night when he failed to win the British heavyweight title.
Taking on Jeamie TKV in Derby, Clarke was defeated by split decision in a brutal, but scrappy affair at Valiant Live in Derby.
After two gruelling encounters with Fabio Wardley last year, it felt like this meeting with TKV was ‘make or break’. After turning professional in 2022 following a bronze medal triumph at the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Clarke needed to put his foot down when it came to pursuing glory.
Unfortunately for him, he has come up short whenever he has challenged for major honours.
As the dust settles on the defeat to TKV who has the Lonsdale belt wrapped around his waist, serious questions need to be asked as to whether Clarke should carry on, or retire, and in my eyes, the latter is a sensible option.
Frazer Clarke lacks the necessary skills to thrive at heavyweight
In the build-up to Saturday’s fight, Clarke got increasingly agitated, causing chaos during the weigh-in, and at the opening bell, ‘Big Fraze’ came out like a raging bull.
With successful shots to the body and a right uppercut, it looked like Clarke was wasting no time in wanting to make a statement to those who doubted him. Unfortunately, this was where the positives ended.
With each passing session, Clarke faded. TKV had found a rhythm. Bringing the fight up close, and landing at will. His left hand in particular was creating all sorts of problems.
TKV was also effective in using the dark arts. The use of his arms to stifle Clarke and push his head up along with sneaking in punches during or in the break-up of the numerous clinches, TKV was ready to use every trick in the book to give him the best possible chance of winning the vacant belt.
Clarke on the other hand was not willing to do the dirty work. Sometimes to be successful, especially in boxing, you need to fight dirty and Clarke was reluctant to do that.
This played right in TKV’s hands, and it came to a head in round 11 when what seemed like a never-ending barrage of clubbing blows had Clarke out on his feet in the final minute, but somehow, he managed to survive and navigate the full 12 rounds.
At 34 years old, Clarke does not have much time for being a successful heavyweight, but if this defeat is anything to go by, I don’t see when this success is going to come.
In heavyweight boxing, stamina is key, and if he lets his emotions get the better of him like they did at the weekend, then he will suffer similar fading efforts and before he knows it, losing any form of control he had.
Combine that with the reluctance to engage in boxing’s dark arts, and Clarke is ‘too nice’ of a fighter to be a real force at heavyweight.
Who will want to face Frazer Clarke after another defeat at British level?
It is not just the lack of skills which make me think retirement may be best for Clarke, it’s also the fact there is not much out there in terms of opponents for him to bounce back against.
The heavyweight scene on British shores is an exciting one. After Fabio Wardley was recently made the WBO’s heavyweight champion, there is a queue quickly forming to face the Ipswich man, and there are some notable British names in contention such as former cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie.
While Clarke may fancy his chances against the likes of Okolie, no one will want to risk their high rankings against a fighter who has failed to win the British title on three separate attempts.
With an Olympic medal to his name and plenty of amateur experience, there will be some incentive to those rising through the ranks to face Clarke en-route to greater things, but surely becoming a gatekeeper is not what ‘Big Fraze’ had in mind.
Clarke is usually an upbeat personality and always a positive speaker outside of the ring, however, going from Team GB captain to a heavyweight stepping stone will no doubt have him questioning whether he can continue his boxing career.
Boxing is a sport which produces its fair share of surprises and a Clarke resurgence could be one of those. But I don’t honestly know where he goes from here after the defeat to TKV.
The flaws are there for all to see and will continue to be exploited by savvy and talented fighters inside the ring, while the lack of opponents and diminishing role in the British heavyweight sphere will do Clarke no favours in planning out his future boxing endeavours.
To save any further fall from grace, it would be best for Clarke to retire before the sport which gave him so much begins to slowly tear him down bit by bit.
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