London, UK (February 26, 2024) - British and Commonwealth heavyweight title holder Fabio Wardley is supremely confident of successfully defending his turf on March 31st against Frazer Clarke at London's O2 Arena. Wardley won the British belt by defeating Nathan Gorman and has already added the Commonwealth title by defeating David Adeleye by TKO last October. The emerging star from Ipswich has made a huge impression on the British boxing public since turning pro after excelling via the white-collar route.

It’s amazing to think odds makers bet365 back Wardley at 2/5 to defeat Frazer Clarke, after him winning bronze bronze at the Olympics with a real amateur boxing pedigree. It’s hard to argue with such an established online sportsbook, though. In fact, bet365 is rated five out of five by oddschecker based on the strength of its odds and bonuses for new and existing bettors.

There is a sense that Wardley represents an altogether new route into professional boxing and Clarke represents the tried and trusted, old-school pathway for wannabee professional boxers. A win for Wardley would set the cat among the pigeons and potentially spark a new wave of white-collar boxers inspired by the Ipswich-born heavyweight’s rise to stardom.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out why Clarke’s up against it

In many ways, it’s easy to see why Clarke is the heavy underdog. He’s only had eight professional fights, compared with Wardley’s 17 professional fights. Wardley’s won all 17, 16 of which came by knockout. It’s his explosive nature which has made him such a fascinating new heavyweight for fight fans.

Wardley has received criticism for his lack of defensive skills at times, but he’s shown that when hurt he’s like a wounded animal and it suddenly take him through the gears as he mercilessly tears into his opponents.

Wardley vs Clarke is almost like an out-and-out aggressor against a technically proficient boxer. Technical proficiency may not be enough for Clarke to beat Wardley, though. Clarke’s stamina has often been called into question and it’s not yet been proven just how well he takes a shot.

When you put all the above together, it feels like Clarke is a good match-up for Wardley. A slow-moving target that could potentially soften up in the latter half of the fight, if it even gets that far.

Wardley is at the right age and time for the world stage

A win for Wardley would surely catapult him closer to the top of the heavyweight division, where he feels he already belongs. As for Clarke, at 32, it’s almost a case of now or never for Big Fraze. Many wondered why he left it so late to enter the pro game. In doing so, he’s allowed the likes of Wardley to steal his potential thunder.

It was clear at the pre-fight press conference that there was mutual respect between the pair. Both fighters are well-spoken and excellent role models for boxing’s next generation. May the best man win!

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