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Frazer Clarke admits Fabio Wardley has got under his skin “at times” as the heated build-up to their heavyweight fight on Sky Sports continues.
Clarke will meet Wardley on March 31, Easter Sunday, with the British and Commonwealth titles on the line at the O2 Arena in London.
The pair have traded words over the past month since the bout was announced, with Wardley labelling his opponent as “soft” and is taking the fight “too soon”.
Wardley is the more experienced fighter with an impressive 16-fight knockout streak, which has seen him steamroll his way through the domestic division.
Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Clarke (8-0, six by knockout) is just eight fights into his promising professional career.
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Fabio Wardley discusses his face-off with domestic rival Frazer Clarke at Portman Road, the home of his team, Ipswich Town.
“You can never rob me of everything I’ve got. Win, lose or draw this fight, what I’ve got is my own legacy already in my opinion. I’m in a very small circle of people who have achieved certain things in boxing,” Clarke told Sky Sports.
“But for him to say that he’s going to knock me out…he has his past fights to go on but I don’t believe he’s fought anyone like me, with the brain, the heart or the desire, who really wants to win. I’m not a show pony. This isn’t for show.
“I’m not bothered about the ring walks, I’m not bothered about fight week, I’m not even bothered about the kit. They asked me ‘what kit do you want?’ and I just said ‘chuck me something together, give a couple of colours and that was it’.
“I don’t need a social media crew following me around with pictures and cameras. It might end up getting done but it has nothing to do with me. All I’m focused on is winning and bringing the titles back.”
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Jeamie TKV says Frazer Clarke’s stamina will let him down against Fabio Wardley and he’s tipping the British and Commonwealth champion to retain his belt.
The pair met on the pitch at Portman Road, home of Ipswich Town, earlier this month, with Clarke donning a Norwich City jersey in response to Wardley being celebrated in front of his hometown fans.
Asked if Wardley has got under his skin, Clarke answered: “At times. He’s good at what he does. The social media posts, he’s very good at. He’s got his little nerdy team behind him that follow him with a camera and make his little reel for him, which make him look a lot better on the reels than he does in real life.
“When we see a three-second clip of someone hitting the bag, with fast reflexes and going ‘smash’, these whiz kids are good with the cameras and make you look fantastic, which is good video content. I don’t like people messing with me so, at times, he’s definitely got under my skin.”
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There was a heated exchange between Frazer Clarke and Fabio Wardley at the press conference ahead of their British and Commonwealth heavyweight title clash.
Clarke: Wardley is overconfident
Their rivalry intensified last year after Clarke did not participate in a mandated purse bid for a 2023 British title fight with Wardley.
Instead, Clarke banked 10 valuable rounds against former world title challenger Mariusz Wach before retiring domestic rival David Allen with a perforated eardrum to continue his unbeaten run.
Wardley looked at his devastating best last time out when dismantling David Adeleye on the Tyson Fury vs Francis Ngannou undercard in October.
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After a long-running rivalry, the fighting talk continues as Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke get set for their huge clash on March 31.
Clarke, 32, thinks he “100 per cent” beats the opponents Wardley has fought.
“He’s overconfident. I think he has every reason to be confident, just look at his record and he’s not put a foot wrong yet,” added Clarke.
“He keeps talking that he’s already beaten elite amateurs like Nathan Gorman. With all due respect to Nathan Gorman, he was a decent amateur but was nowhere near elite. That’s just that’s just a myth.
“The last win against David Adeleye. He’s a great personality and an up and coming prospect but, realistically, he lost a fight to Kamil Sokołowski, who I had already beat at a canter and I hardly trained for that fight. His (Wardley’s) two or three best wins, they are a bit void.”
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