Heavyweight contender Fabio Wardley (18-0-1, 17 KOs) looked like a steamroller, crushing previously unbeaten shot Frazer Clarke (8-1-1, 6 KOs) by a first-round KO on Saturday night in his revenge in the party. head support at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Clarke was caught with a big right hand by Wardley with a right hand early in the first round that stunned him, sending him crashing against the ropes. It looks like Clarke got that shot back because he landed a big uppercut to Wardley’s head.
Seconds later, Wardley landed a short right hand on Clarke, who grabbed his feet, sending him retreating to the ropes. Wardley landed two wide hooks on Clarke’s head that sent him crashing into the ropes.
Fabio then connected with two massive right hands to the head of Clarke, sending him to the canvas. The referee then waived because Clarke was in bad form. It looked like he had a lump on the left side of his jaw. It’s unclear if Clarke’s jaw was broken or what, but it didn’t look good. The stoppage time was at 2:28 of the first round.
Earlier this year, Wardley and Clarke fought to a 12-round draw at London’s O2 Arena on March 31. Wardley’s face was a mess in the fight, and he looked terrible. Tonight, he reached the heavyweight Clarke early to avoid the punishment he took in his first fight.
After the fight tonight, Wardley said he would like to fight for a world title next. It will be up to His Excellency Turki Alalshikh if he wants Wardley to fight for a belt, but it is unlikely. Wardley will need to line up and fight other top heavyweights as he waits for his turn to fight for a title. It would be interesting to see Wardley fight Martin Bakole, Filip Hrgovic or Jared Anderson next.
Last updated on 10/12/2024
