- Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke fought a hard-hitting 12-round war in London
- Wardley knocked down his challenger in the fifth round, but suffered damage to his face.
- Both heavyweights shared a moment backstage and showed mutual respect
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Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke showed their mutual respect backstage after their brutal 12-round war of attrition ended in a draw in London on Sunday night.
British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion Wardley fought a bruising stalemate with challenger Clarke at the O2 Arena and suffered a nosebleed.
Wardley had floored Clarke in the fifth round, but often found himself training on the back foot, leaving him sporting a number of battle scars afterwards.
These cuts were visible to everyone as he relaxed in his dressing room and Clarke, after receiving the all clear from the doctors, stopped by to visit him.
‘Do you want to fuck off, buddy?’ Wardley joked before standing up awkwardly.
Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke shared their mutual respect after their brutal draw in London
Wardley and Clarke defended their undefeated records after a grueling 12-round fight.
Backstage, Wardley was sporting several cuts and bruises, including swelling around his eyes.
Both fighters then shared a hug as Wardley continued to joke that he didn’t want to see Clarke again for a while after almost suffering the first loss of his career.
“I’ve seen enough of you,” he said, accompanied by laughter from those in the room.
The duo skipped their usual post-fight interviews to receive medical attention. Wardley appeared to suffer a broken nose from which blood was gushing.
As the big hitters traded blows, Wardley also suffered eye swelling, but even that didn’t stop him from enjoying at least some success in front of the crowd.
One judge scored the exciting clash 114-113 for Wardley, the other 115-112 for Clarke while, crucially, the third failed to split them at 113-113.
Wardley jokingly told Clarke to “fuck off” and admitted he had seen enough of the challenger.
Both heavyweights posed for the cameras after being discharged by the O2 medical teams
The judges couldn’t choose a winner, but both fighters are open to a rematch.
As a result, both men protected their unblemished records, although Clarke admitted he is eager for a rematch after agonizingly failing.
“I wanted the titles, I want to be champion,” Clarke told Sky Sports. ‘I’ll be back with a vengeance, I promise you now. I would love a rematch. “I would love to fight Fabio again.”
Wardley is also open to facing Clarke again in the future, telling reporters: “That was a great fight and he deserves a rematch.”
“There deserves to be a clearer winner, a lot of people have asked for it.” I don’t think I’ll be happy with my career moving on from that tie and just running away from it.
“Then we can run it again, no problem.”