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Nick Parkinson
Fabio Wardley claimed he was ready for a world heavyweight title shot after his savage first-round destruction of Frazer Clarke despite his relative lack of experience compared to his global competitors.
Wardley produced a sensational performance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and left Clarke with a sickening grimace and dent on the side of his face after landing a series of thudding right hands on his English rival.
“I’m ready to mix it with those boys. I’ve got the power to mix it with them all, I can take a shot, and I can have a war,” Wardley said after the swift defence of his British crown.
“You’ve seen me do everything. I’m ready for that world stage now.”
But others are ahead of Wardley in the queue for a world title shot. Fighting the likes of Joseph Parker, Martin Bakole, Agit Kabayel, Zhilei Zhang and Anthony Joshua would be a step in the right direction for Wardley, who is ranked at No. 8 with two of the world governing bodies and No. 9 with another.
Wardley (18-0-1, 17 KOs), 29, from Ipswich, needs to beat a top-10 opponent to seal a crack at one of the world titles, three (WBC, WBA and WBO) of which are in the hands of Oleksandr Usyk, who faces Tyson Fury in a rematch on Dec. 21.
Daniel Dubois, who is promoted by Queensberry Promotions like Wardley, is the IBF champion after knocking out Joshua last month.
As stunning as Wardley’s performance was, fighting another top 10 opponent would be a big step up in class for him. However, as he has shown, Wardley has the firepower to finish experienced boxers like he did Clarke, who won a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics.
Wardley and Clarke went 12 rounds in a thrilling fight last March that ended in a draw, but the rematch was over in a round.
“I took enough assessment from the first fight to know I have success in that war mode, we just needed to be a little bit sweeter and put it together a little bit nicer, disguise them a little bit better,” Wardley said.
“But I can’t help it — war by name, war by nature. Once I have my enemies hurt, there’s no help for them unless that bell comes.”
Clarke (8-1-1, 6 KOs), 33, reportedly had surgery Sunday for a suspected broken cheekbone, and the defeat is a serious blow to his hopes of featuring in big fights in Saudi Arabia — fixing his cheekbone might be easier than fixing his career.
Another English fighter who went to the local hospital was light heavyweight Ben Whittaker (8-0-1, 5 KOs), 27, who was injured when he flopped over the top rope and out of the ring with opponent Liam Cameron in a scene reminiscent of WWE.
Whittaker, a silver medalist from the Tokyo Games, left the ring in a wheelchair, and a rematch seems likely after the fifth-round technical draw.
Eubank Jr. vs. Benn edges closer
Chris Eubank Jr. clashed with Conor Benn in the ring following his predictable seventh-round stoppage win over Kamil Szeremeta, which suggests the English rivals are being lined up to face each other as part of a Riyadh Season event.
As Benn is banned from boxing in the UK after he tested positive for a banned substance in 2022, Eubank vs. Benn may take place in Gulf nation.
Benn, who has been campaigning at welterweight, might also have to step up to middleweight where Eubank (34-3, 25 KOs) operates to make the fight he desperately wants, but the clash now looks closer than ever to being arranged.
Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) tested positive for a banned substance in October 2022, causing a scheduled bout against Eubank to be cancelled.
The British Boxing Board of Control subsequently banned Benn, who has since twice fought in non-title bouts outside of the UK.
Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, the fathers of Chris Jr. and Conor, had two epic encounters in 1990 and 1993, and the clash between their sons would generate huge interest in the UK.
Eubank Jr.’s promoter, Ben Shalom, last week said the English boxer could face Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in 2025, but it now looks like the focus is to fight Benn as Eubank hinted at in a social media post.
Eubank Jr. posted a photo of him squaring up to Benn on X with the caption: “I guess I got my next scrap lined up.”
Benn also talked up the fight on social media, posting: “I promise you I will chin this idiot inside 3 rounds.”