The sound of the first bell will be a source of relief for Frazer Clarke at York Hall tonight.
Headlining against the experienced Mariusz Wach — who has gone the distance with Wladimir Klitschko and Dillian Whyte — the 31-year-old looks to put a testing month behind him following the collapse of his much-anticipated heavyweight clash against Fabio Wardley.
“It’s been a massive challenge,” Clarke tells Standard Sport. “There was a period of 10-14 days where I definitely lost myself. I couldn’t leave the house without someone talking about it.”
The pair had been ordered to fight for Wardley’s British title, but Clarke’s promoter Ben Shalom withdrew him on the day purse bids were set to take place.
That decision was met with significant criticism — the backlash enough for Clarke to delete Twitter from his phone — and it was not one that the 2020 Olympic bronze medallist welcomed.
“I was very upset,” he admits. “I felt that I was being held back. I was ready to take the blinkers off.”
Shalom claimed that Clarke, a decorated amateur and 6-0 as a professional, needed more rounds before taking a title fight. It is easy to wonder whether a fear of losing the purse bids, and the commercial consequences of that, was just as significant.
“Without wanting to chuck anyone under the bus, I feel like the rounds thing might have been a bit of a scapegoat,” Clarke says. “I felt comfortable going into that fight.
“But the only thing that got damaged was my pride. I haven’t lost a fight, I’m still in good health.”
Could he understand if Sky Sports were reluctant to risk him fighting on rival platform DAZN? “It’s a bit s*** for me, but if I was the man behind Sky, I’d want my fighter on my channel,” he admits.
Clarke jokes boxing increasingly resembles “an Eastenders episode”, as promoters trade insults and drama outside the ring take centre stage, but there is a serious point on the lessons he has learnt since turning professional last year.
“Amateur boxing, that’s the sport,” he explains. “Professional boxing is a business. It’s run by people who look at numbers, not fighting people.
“Some pros like to think they’re in control, but these are the people paying you. You’re going to do as you’re told. You’re going to be made to believe you’re doing what you want, but you’re only doing what you’re allowed to do. People don’t want to believe it, but that’s the reality.”
A middle ground between broadcaster, promoter and fighter is not easily found. Less complicated is what happens when Clarke steps through the ropes and has his destiny entirely in his own hands, hoping to keep climbing a ladder he believes leads to the very top of the division.
“I don’t go around screaming and shouting it, but I want to be a world champion,” Clarke says. “People say there’s no chance — with the right management, I will definitely get to that stage.”
