Fabio Wardley, with a record of 17 wins, no losses, 1 draw, and 16 knockouts, and the 2020 Olympic superheavy bronze medalist Frazer “Big Fraze” Clarke, who stepped into the ring with 8 wins, no losses, 1 draw, and 6 knockouts, threw down in a bout that ended in a gut-wrenching draw.
From the opening bell, the O2 Arena was electric, witnessing an exchange of blows that had both warriors trading leather and enduring the storm. Wardley, seizing a moment in the fifth, rocked Clarke with a flurry that sent Clarke to the canvas as the round came to a close. However, Clarke wasn’t out of tricks, docking a point for a low blow in the seventh, signaling a shift in the tide.
As the battle wore on, Wardley’s face bore the brunt of Clarke’s resolve, with his nose turned into a battlefield and his right eye nearly shut. The ringside doctor was called into the fray in the eighth to assess Wardley’s injuries, but the warrior spirit was far from broken. Both fighters dug deep, trading blows till the final bell.
The judges’ scorecards: 114-113 for Wardley, 115-112 for Clarke, and 113-113, leaving fans roaring after a a great fight!
In the heavyweight division, it was like watching a bulldozer in Alen Babic as he plowed through Steve Robinson with a fury that was nothing short of a demolition. Babic, standing tall with 12 wins under his belt, 11 of which have seen his opponents kissing the canvas, and just one defeat, turned the ring into a hunting ground. The onslaught ended with Robinson, who entered the ring with a decent record of 6-3, on the receiving end of a brutal beating, culminating in a sixth-round stoppage by the ref at just 54 seconds in. Babic, after a setback against Rozanski in the bridgerweight bout last year, roared back like a beast hungry for redemption.
The welterweight scrap saw Chris Kongo, holding a record of 15-2, outwit and outpunch Florian Marku, who until then had never tasted defeat. The judges saw it clear as day, with scores that left no room for doubt, marking a masterclass from Kongo despite Marku’s dirty tricks that cost him a point in the ninth.
The light heavyweight showcase was stolen by Ben Whittaker, the Olympic standout with a flair for the dramatic, who now boasts an unblemished record of 7-0. He faced a tough customer in Leon Willings, dropping him early but then getting dragged into a deeper fight than expected, emerging victorious with a score of 78-73 after eight grueling rounds.
Callum Simpson laid out Dulla Mbabe with a stunning fourth-round KO in their super middleweight clash.
In the cruiserweight division, Viddal Riley claimed a hard-fought win over Mikael Lawal, standing tall after ten rounds.
- Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke: Draw (SD 12); Wardley retains British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles
- Chris Kong vs. Florian Marku: Kongo wins (UD 10); welterweights
- Viddal Riley vs. Mikael Lawal: Riley wins (UD 10); retains English Cruiserweight title
- Alen Babic vs. Steve Robinson: Babic wins (TKO 6/10); heavyweights
- Callum Simpson vs. Dulla Mbabe: Simpson wins (KO 4/10); super middleweights
- Ben Whittaker vs. Leon Willings: Whittaker wins (PTS 8); light heavyweights
