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Heavyweights Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke will exchange punches in anger when they fight at the O2 Arena on Sunday.
Olympic bronze medallist Clarke challenges Wardley for the British and Commonwealth championships, live on Sky Sports.
They have shared a ring before. Only on one occasion though, in 2022 when they sparred at Wardley’s gym.
Frazer Clarke: I’m not here to be a clown | Fabio Wardley: Fun and games overFrom white-collar to O2 headliner: The Fabio Wardley wayBoxing videos and highlights | Stream the biggest moments on NOW
Jeamie TKV, a rising heavyweight prospect and a stablemate of Wardley’s, witnessed it.
“I was there. Frazer was having some success. But the success didn’t last. Fabio took over,” TKV told Sky Sports.
“He always seemed stronger and fitter. I can see that happening in the fight. Fabio being stronger and fitter. He may lose one round. He may lose two rounds. But I believe as the fight goes on, Fabio will become a problem for Frazer.
“I think Frazer believes that he’s better than him. Because he’s done more than he has, he feels like he’s more experienced than Fabio is [thanks to his amateur career].
“But from what I’ve seen he’s not better than Fabio and, from that spar, he’s better than him.”
Clarke insists that he is reading nothing into it. “We did six rounds, I had a couple of good rounds, he had a couple of good rounds. There’s not too much to take from it,” he told Sky Sports.
That, Clarke is adamant, will have no bearing on the fight.
“I’ve been in camps [with opponents before]. I boxed Patrick Mailata, I sparred him every day for six months and then fought him in the Commonwealth Games. It’s part and parcel,” he said.
That’s one thing Wardley and Clarke can agree on. “I don’t want to get too lost in ‘oh, I did this, I did that’,” Wardley told Sky Sports.
“Sparring, you’re always working on stuff, it’s a bit technical. There’s bits to take. You can see habits, what they do in certain situations. But it was only once and quite a while ago.
“He will have developed and I’ve developed and my style’s changed a bit as well. There’s too many variables for it to be a concrete thing to draw on.”
Don’t miss Wardley vs Clarke this Sunday live on Sky Sports.
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