Frazer Clarke takes the biggest-step of his career to date when he takes on Fabio Wardley at London’s O2 Arena on Sunday (March 31).
Clarke is an Olympic bronze medalist who is 8-0 (6 KOs) as a pro with himself and Wardley, 17-0 (16 KOs), the latest significant all-British heavyweight prospects fight, on the heels of the likes of Tyson Fury-Derek Chisora I, Joe Joyce-Daniel Dubois and Anthony Joshua-Dillian Whyte.
For Clarke, capturing Wardley’s British and Commonwealth titles would signal the start of the journey rather than the pinnacle.
“World titles are the dream for every fighter,” the 32-year-old from Burton said. “We are all trying to achieve them. At this moment, it is just one step at a time because the British and Commonwealth route is a very good and traditional route to go down.
“There are some good names there. We can look back at the British title, and we could go on for ages and ages. I think it is one of these fights where the winner moves on and the loser, [it’s] not that he doesn’t have anywhere to go. If you look back at who has fought for the British title, some people fight for the title, lose and that is their ceiling.
“I believe we can both go on past the British title level; there just has to be a winner and a loser.”
Wardley certainly feels the same about himself, that his elevator to the top with continue regardless.
But for many fighters, particularly heavyweights, the ride to the top presently leads to Saudi Arabia. While Boxxer promoter Ben Shalom said Saudi Arabia is not in his company’s immediate plans, he does feel it is inevitable that they will work out there in the future.
Clarke, for one, is licking his lips at the prospect of fighting in the Middle East, having big contests for big money and using Sunday night in London as a launchpad to the next stage of his career, transitioning from mature prospect to contender. But he still wants to build his profile at home, first.
“I would love to, and if you are a boxer and that is not your wish, then you are in the wrong sport,” he said, of going to Saudi Arabia.
“It is where everything is happening right now, and I want to go out there and fight in Saudi Arabia. For now, though, I am happy building from home. A lot of the guys who are boxing there have done their days fighting and are just cashing out.”