A few days ago, Fabio Wardley stunned the world when he defeated Frazer Clarke via a first-round technical knockout. It was a sensational performance in Riyadh that sent shockwaves as Clarke left the ring with a visible dent on his face. But the post-fight controversy took centerstage when the head of BOXXER, and Frazer Clarke’s promoter Ben Shalom questioned the gloves used by Wardley during the fight.

The Ipswich resident used customised Fly Gloves for this fight which became a point of concern for Shalom. The promotional head accepted the legitimacy of the gloves and wanted to check the potential damage caused by them. In reply, Queensberry Promotions head, Frank Warren, slammed Shalom for the claims, terming them as “libelous.”

Warren defends Fabio Wardley’s victory

The British boxing promoter ripped apart the claims by Shalom and called them a disgrace. He further added that claims like these will tarnish the reputation of his charge Fabio Wardley “It’s a disgrace Shalom has tried to tarnish Fabio’s win and reputation with such a dangerous suggestion,” said Warren in a furious tone. He further stated that all this claim is a “poor excuse for what was a legitimate win,” before terming Shalom clueless.

Warren further mentioned that though the gloves were customized, “I’m sure that Fabio wore those gloves in his previous fight.” He further mentioned that more fighters wear the same Fly gloves. Warren assured everyone that Shalom had no legal or moral grounds for making the claims.

Furthermore, the Queensberry promoter took these accusations as a mark of disrespect towards himself. As Frank Warren was the official promoter of the event, he warned Ben Shalom that this could land him in legal trouble. He stated that not only were the claims stupid, but they were also libelous.

Frank Warren threatens with legal action

According to Warren, everything in the event was approved by the British Boxing Board of Control. So, if Shalom is alleging something deceitful in the event, he is indirectly accusing Warren himself. “I am the promoter of that event. It was a British Boxing Board of Control event. It was me, the licensed promoter. So what he’s saying is that the gloves were not correct. That’s what he’s alleging. And that is libelous,” said Warren.

Furthermore, he claimed that the BOXXER founder can’t ask for an investigation when he does not even have the gloves. Warren once again termed the claims as baseless before threatening that he would take this issue to higher authorities. “The BBBofC checks and approves all gloves at the Friday meeting. No issues were raised. I will be taking Shalom to the Board for bringing the sport into disrepute with this libelous allegation,” added Warren.

Whether Frank Warren will take up the dispute to the court or not is yet to be seen, but it has certainly put shade on the sensational victory of Fabio Wardley. What do you think about Frank Warren’s latest comments? Do you think that the claims made by Ben Shalom are baseless? Let us know your thoughts down below.