FRAZER Clarke has broken his silence after a challenging week for his career.
The 31-year-old has been commissioned by the British Boxing Control Board (BBBofC) as Fabio Wardley’s British heavyweight title challenger. A fight that Clarke openly says he wants and is very confident of will win.
Before bidding with a wallet, Ben Shalom was openly interested in making the fight and said Sky Sports: “We made a big offer for Fabio Wardley to play against Frazer Clarke. It will be the highest paying day of his career, possibly a record amount for a title fight in England.”
Hearn and Wardley mocked the offer over social media. This will result in the opening of several envelopes at the BBBofC office in Caerdydd.
On Wednesday (May 10), the noon auction deadline is getting closer and closer. Eddie Hearn or Ben Shalom are about to find out which of them won. Simple tool. The boxing community doesn’t care whether it will air on DAZN or Sky. All they need to know is that there is a war going on somewhere. Frustration is the furthest thing from their mind.
It was later reported that Shalom and Clarke had withdrawn. Online response is not favorable. The Boxxer promoter and his heavyweight star are on the radar of those who have worked so hard to build and raise hope. The photos never let go for the rest of the day.
Wardley spoke to boxing news that afternoon and was clearly very upset and disappointed.
“Today is nothing but a pure mess, as ** doesn’t show. Boxer, Sky, 258 [management], Frazer, they all got lost in the mud. They all run around headless; No one knows what they are doing. No one is on the same page, no one knows what they want to do. One wants to turn left, one wants to turn right.”
Fifty plus words from a man who thought earlier in the day that he was going to plan the biggest battle of his life.
Hearn made a similar response on another channel, but Clarke chose not to speak to the media. A deafening silence or a man needing time to gather his thoughts?
On Thursday Shalom talk to BN to give his side of the story.
“We would never have fought that fight in that situation. We didn’t call for a bid, he revealed.
“I was surprised when it was ordered. We have been trying to fight for a long time in the pocket tenders and before.
“Any coach or anyone who has worked in boxing will know that rounds make all the difference. It doesn’t matter how talented you are. His team had wanted him to fight six innings and be busy and aggressive. He fought an eight round and went two innings.”
“We’re not going to be pushed into a situation that we know isn’t right for him,” he continued.
“Yes, we want the biggest fights, yes, we want the best fights, yes, we want to work with everyone. That’s why we wanted to do this year’s fight under the right circumstances with the biggest promotion possible and make sure he finished at least round 10.”
So who lobbied for the war?
“That’s a question for my manager [258],” replied Shalom, who didn’t want to “throw anyone under the bus”.
Damage control is the order of the day and will continue until Clarke engages in a meaningful fight that leaves fans with this mess aside. It won’t be easily forgotten though.
Behind closed doors, no one really knows if this caused any conflict between Clarke, Shalom, and 258 Management. Only time will tell.
After yesterday’s practice [Friday]Clarke popped up on Instagram, sweat dripping from her forehead, to deliver her first comments after a forgettable week.
“It has been a tough week as you all know. I am working hard and continuing the journey. It wasn’t great, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of conversation, a few changes here and there. I’m still working hard.
“Thank you to everyone who supported me. I, like anyone else, worry that this fight won’t happen now. But I’m sure you’ll get more information from me soon.”
Suddenly, the rest of 2023 felt like a defining phase in Frazer Clarke’s career.
