Frazer Clarke admits he's 'still not over' Wardley debacle but wants to move past it by beating Wach

Frazer Clarke wants to move past the disappointment of watching his proposed British title fight with Fabio Wardley slip away in front of his eyes by making a statement against Mariusz Wach in his next outing.

Wardley had been ordered to defend his belt against Clarke by the end of September.

But Clarke’s promoter, Ben Shalom of BOXXER, opted to pull his fighter out of the contest before purse bids were set to take place. 

Shalom stated that Clarke ‘hadn’t done enough rounds’ in his professional career to warrant jumping straight into a 12-rounder – much to the dismay of the Olympic bronze medalist who admits he ‘still isn’t over’ the debacle.

He told Mail Sport: ‘I was over the moon at the news that I was the mandatory to fight Fabio Wardley but then as that situation got about ten days in I had to make some difficult phone calls.

Fabio Wardley admits he ‘still hasn’t recovered’ from the Fabio Wardley British title debacle

Wardley vs Clarke was set to go to Purse bids before Ben Shalom pulled the plug on the fight

Clarke is now set to face former world title challenger Mariusz Wach on June 16 at York Hall

‘I was led to the illusion that my promoter (BOXXER) and broadcaster (Sky) weren’t happy with the fight going to purse bids.

‘They felt that I wasn’t experienced enough to take the fight at this stage in my career because I haven’t done the rounds yet and so they strongly advised me to pull out of the fight which I never wanted to do. 

‘But in the end the decision was made for me and they went ahead and did that. It was something I was really gutted about and something that is probably going to live with me for a while, I’m probably still not over it. But we have got Wach now and I just want to move on and focus on that.’

Clarke has stopped five out of his six opponents inside the distance and hasn’t gone past six rounds in the paid ranks so far.

His next fight against Mariusz Wach on June 16 at York Hall is scheduled for ten and there is an expectation that the Polish veteran will take Clarke into deeper waters.

Although starting to show signs of aging at 43-years-old Wach still has a sturdy chin and has shared the ring with the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Alexander Povetkin and Dillian Whyte. 

Clarke is expecting Wach’s experience to show and is looking forward to having ‘question asked of him’ by the rugged veteran.

Clarke is 6-0 as a professional and has stopped five out of six of his opponents so far 

Shalom (right) is in talks with Wardley’s team about putting on the British title fight after Wach 

‘People are going to talk about his age but I know heavyweight boxing and I know a lot of these guys that are experienced and durable can pose problems for anyone on any given night,’ he added.

‘He will make me think, so far I haven’t had to worry too much about what is coming back at me but he’s got a good reach and a good knowledge of the sport so I’m going to have to apply myself to answer those questions. 

‘The biggest question he will ask of me is how do I fight over ten rounds? How do I pace myself? How do I nullify him?’

Clarke is naturally hoping that the Wardley fight will happen next but can’t afford to get ahead of himself after the disappointment of last time. 

However, the Burton puncher did reveal to Mail Sport that there are ongoing talks between Wardley’s team and Shalom.

‘Yeah, behind the scenes there are some talks between Ben and Fabio’s team but I’ve learned from the situation a few weeks ago,’ Clarke continued.

‘I’ve got to concentrate on my next fight and worry about that after because you don’t want to get too ahead of yourself in boxing as I’ve learned the hard way.’