A battered and bruised Frazer Clarke has passed on his congratulations to Fabio Wardley after undergoing surgery for the horrifying injury he suffered in his first-round knockout defeat in Riyadh on Saturday.
The two British heavyweight rivals reentered the ring in the wake of their split draw back in March and the brutal affair saw Clarke floored twice inside the opening round at Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Arena.
Referee Victor Loughlin called off the fight after Wardley landed a flurry of shots, including the decisive blow, inside two-and-a-half minutes, prompting wild celebrations among the 29-year-old and his team.
But there was soon serious concern for a dazed Clarke, 33, with the Tokyo 2020 Olympian sporting a sickening dent in the side of his head while slumped against the ropes.
Wardley – who retained his British and Commonwealth belts with the emphatic win – was quick to offer his support as Clarke was taken to hospital for tests and the latter has since made the trip home after being discharged.
‘Just chatted to @bigfraze at airport in Riyadh 5 mins ago. His wife is with him. He is feeling OK,’ boxing pundit and broadcaster Gareth A Davies wrote on his Instagram page.
‘Jaw is wired. Showed me pictures of the breaks – three I think.
Best surgeon in Saudi from @turkialalshik.
‘We were all very worried about him. We on same flight to London overnight. V [very] pleased to know that FC is OK.
‘He said to say to @FabioWardley: “Well done mate, I’ve been in boxing a very long time and no one has ever hit that hard. I’m proud of the 13rds we’ve had together”.
‘Really pleased to see Big Fraze on way home… heart lifted.’
A triumphant Wardley explained how he had managed to iron out ‘a couple of issues’ from the pair’s first meeting earlier in the year.
‘I always know once I hurt someone, I can get rid of them,’ the Ipswich-born fighter said shortly after his convincing victory.
‘I went into the last fight with a couple of issues. We got them fixed up.
‘We got the game-plan right, we put it together, executed on the night.
‘I took enough assessment from the first fight to know I have success in that war mode, we just needed to be a little bit sweeter, put it together a little bit nicer, set things up a little bit better, disguise them a little bit better.
‘But I can’t help it: war by name, war by nature. Once I have my enemies hurt, there’s no help for them unless that bell comes.’
While Clarke is set to be out of action between six and eight weeks, the veteran fighter is said to be eyeing a return to the ring in early 2025.
Frazer successfully underwent a minor surgery today. He’s feeling well and rested and will head back to the UK this evening to further recover with his family,’ Clarke’s reporter Ben Shalom said in a statement on Sunday.
‘He’s feeling more motivated than ever to come back bigger and better in the new year.
‘He would like to sincerely pass on his thanks to well-wishers and we hope for a speedy recovery.’
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