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Fabio Wardley during the press conference at Glaziers Hall, London. (Photo by Kirsty O’Connor/PA Images via Getty Images)
Getty
Fabio Wardley during the press conference at Glaziers Hall, London. (Photo by Kirsty O’Connor/PA Images via Getty Images)
The highly anticipated fight between British heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley and Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Frazer Clarke has fallen apart after the withdrawal of purse bids. The BBBoC ordered Wardley to face Clarke and subsequently negotiations were ongoing. However, Wardley’s promotional company Boxxer pulled out of the purse bids at the final moment leaving the fight in shambles.
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The news broke when Eddie Hearn announced on social media that rival promoters Boxxer had withdrawn their fighter from the matchup. Now, Wardley has come out to try and shed some light on the situation.
Fabio Wardley calls out rival promotion following failed fight negotiations
In a recent interview with IFLTV, the British champion claimed that he himself does not know why talks have broken down. He then went off to call out Boxxer stating that questions should be asked from them instead of him.
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“I don’t know what’s going on as you do, mate. The floor should be theirs. They should be the ones answering the questions here. Like, what the f**k is going on? Like they’re a s**tshow other than the reason they clearly don’t believe in their man as they say they do,” said Wardley.
“WHAT THE F*** IS GOING ON?” 🤬@Fabio_Wardley BLASTS @BigFrazeBoxer & @benjshalom as he gives his IMMEDIATE REACTION to purse bids withdrawal ❌
💻 | @Umar_iFL pic.twitter.com/fRqiy1fp0j
— IFL TV (@IFLTV) May 10, 2023
The Wardley vs Clarke fight would have been a great opportunity for both fighters. It would have been a step up for Wardley who has never faced a talent like Olympic medalist Clarke despite having ten more fights. Clarke, on the other hand, would have had the chance to prove himself in the professional ranks. Unfortunately, like many fights in boxing, this has also failed to get finalized.
Eddie Hearn slams rival promotion for pulling out of purse bids
The Matchroom CEO Eddie Heran recently took to social media and revealed that the fight had broken down. He called the negotiations a ‘complete joke’ and was not happy with Clarke’s promotion. He also claimed that this was a robbery for fans wanting to see good fights made in the sport.
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“Heard from the BBBofC that Boxxer has pulled @BigFrazeBoxer out of the @Fabio_Wardley purse bid today. What a complete joke and a waste of our time. Robbing the fighters of opportunity and the fans of a brilliant fight. Shambles.” he wrote.
Heard from the BBBofC that Boxxer has pulled @BigFrazeBoxer out of the @Fabio_Wardley purse bid today. What a complete joke and a waste of our time. Robbing the fighters of opportunity and the fans of a brilliant fight. Shambles.
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) May 10, 2023
This unfortunate situation has become all too familiar for boxing fans who have witnessed potential bouts being canceled or postponed time and time again. The highly anticipated fights between Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk and Terence Crawford vs Errol Spence Jr are just a few examples of this. Hopefully, this fight gets rescheduled so that fans can finally see these two promising fighters go head-to-head.
What did you think about Wardley vs Clarke getting canceled at the last moment? Let us know in the comments.
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Written by
Edited by
Arijit Saha