Wardley taunts Clarke: The bell can’t save you in rematch

Fabio Wardley says Frazer Clarke was “saved by the bell” in their first fight but insists his British heavyweight rival will “hit the canvas” again in their rematch, live on Sky Sports Box Office. 

The pair’s first fight ended in an epic draw in the battle for Wardley’s British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles in March, but the two will rematch on the bumper October 12 Sky Sports Box Office bill, topped by Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol’s undisputed light-heavyweight clash.

Speaking to Sky Sports Boxing’s Johnny Nelson on The Gloves Are Off, Wardley cut a confident figure when revisiting his fifth-round knockdown of Clarke, and is intent on it happening again.

“He was saved by the bell,” Wardley said. “I got him on the floor once before. If I do it earlier in the round, he’s gone.

“The reality is he hit the canvas, and it’s going to happen again. You can get up again if you want, you’ll go back down. You can get up a third time if you want, you’ll go back down.

“On the 12th, the end of the fight will be a full stop. There’s no lessons to teach him. No place to put him in. I just want to take his head of his shoulders, that’s all. And prove my point.

“I go there [dark places] for the fun of it. For no reason. I don’t have to. Sometimes I just box, my corner screams at me: ‘Do this.’ No, let’s go for a swim.”

Clarke hit back saying if Wardley did not learn and adapt from the first fight, it will be the latter who will lose via a knockout blow.

“No [I wasn’t saved by the bell],” he said. “Good pressure from Fabio, I made a mistake and did something that’s almost a sin, crossing your feet like that and going backwards, it’s asking for trouble against a man that can punch.

“I’d say that shot that actually I fell over from was probably the deadest right hand that he landed in the fight. No discredit. He put me on my arse but I got up and we’re carrying on.

“I want to hurt him. I want to beat him, and I want to hurt him doing it. When it’s a draw, you feel like you want to put that extra stamp on it. I’m ready to go where I need to go to, always have been and always will be.

“The key to a rematch is learning from your mistakes. I’ve definitely learnt from mine.

“I’m going to knock him out. He can’t keep me down. He’s not good enough to do it.

“You [Wardley] remain the same, I will change, and I will knock you out. If you do not change from that first fight, you will get knocked out.

“I’d advise you to go and change, or you can be naïve and stupid and stay the same. It’s up to you.

“Watch the fight back, if you punched me up, why was it a draw? You’re not as fit or good as you think you are. We will see. You block those shots with your face, see what happens.”

Both fighters were clear they didn’t hesitate for a second in terms of taking on the rematch.

“Not a second [to accept the rematch],” Wardley said. “I’m not one to shy away from big fights, big occasions, big moments. Especially after the first fight. There was nothing bigger.

“Ultimately, in British boxing at the moment, this is the biggest fight out there. It’s the one everyone’s asking for.

“You can see from my style, I’m an entertainer, and I’m here to give the fans what they want to see.”

Clarke himself said, using the phrasing as his competitor: “Not a second. Before I even got back into the changing rooms, I knew this was the fight I wanted again.

“Fabio spoke on the night about different options, and I’m sure he had plenty, but I was pretty confident that he’s a clever enough man and this was the one that made sense.

“I just see it as unfinished business. As you can see from the images after the fight, I’m not into a draw. It hurt me like a loss. I needed to run it back again.”

Watch The Gloves Are Off: Wardley vs Clarke 2 On Demand now.

Fabio Wardley’s huge rematch with Frazer Clarke is on the epic Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol bill on Saturday October 12 live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book Wardley v Clarke 2 and Beterbiev v Bivol now!

Source : Sky Sports