British and Commonwealth Heavyweight Champion Fabio Wardley is quite the development of his hardware collection.
When the year-end awards are handed out, Wardley, who is 18-0-1 (17 KO), may need to clear more space in his trophy cabinet.
In February, he and Frazer Clarke competed for fight of the year honors. After 12 rounds of some of the most grueling heavyweight action you’ll ever see, On Saturday night, Wardley was in line to claim the Knockout of the Year award when he brought the bout to a brutal end by defeating Clarke in the first round of the eagerly awaited bout.
Many thought Clark’s long and outstanding amateur career would make him the more adaptable of the two. And fighters are fit to train based on the lessons they learned in their first fight.
It shouldn’t be. Clark looked confident and in good shape in the early stages of the fight. But while Wardley His usual fierce and fierce self, importantly, he was much more clinical this time.
“It’s always sweet, you don’t want to work overtime in that ring,” he told Queensberry, “after the final 12 rounds we shared. I know how I feel the next day. So I wasn’t too keen on going through that again. But if I had to go into those deep places and dig out of a well We all know I have it in me.
“I have already said that I have watched the fight back. And know the mistakes I made And how can we put it all together in a sweeter way? And I did that that night.”
Whether it’s the memory of Trevor Berbick stumbling around the ring after absorbing Mike Tyson’s left hook or Lennox Lewis putting Hasim Rahman on the canvas with his head perfectly positioned on Don King’s crown logo, Heavyweight knockouts often leave an indelible mark on the sport.
The shocking image of a clearly physically injured Clarke clinging to the ropes after absorbing the right hand that ended the fight will remain in the mind for a long time.
Wardley was quickly developing a reputation as a natural and brutal finisher.
The 29-year-old doesn’t think his heavyweight opponent has learned anything new. From watching Clark stop. But let’s hope the graphic knockout sticks in their minds.
“My record speaks for itself. Every opponent I faced touched the canvas. So it is not like that,” he said.
“Any fighter who wants to step over the ropes with me has to take that into consideration. I can switch you out at any time. We know that as a heavyweight. We are big children And we can all do it for each other.
“I don’t think it’s anything too new. But what you know from me is that I am dangerous from the first minute to the last minute in the ring.”
John Evans has contributed to a number of high-profile publications and websites for over a decade. You can follow John at @John_Evans79
