Fabio Wardley overcame a brutal nose injury to power through until the final bell and clinch a split draw against Frazer Clarke on Sunday night. Blood was pouring from the face of Wardley for the majority of the 12-round contest, covering the floor of the ring as the London crowd watched on.
A showdown of two unbeaten British heavyweights in the prime of their careers always promised to deliver entertainment, but Wardley’s clash with Clarke on Sunday night surpassed all expectations.
A sequence of punches from Clarke opened up a cut on the nose of Wardley as early as Round 2, and despite the best efforts of his corner, they couldn’t stem the flow of blood for the remainder of the contest.
By the end of a gruelling 12 rounds, Wardley’s face, the shirt of referee Steve Gray, and the canvas were all covered in blood. Wardley showed serious heart to make it to the final bell when it looked as though he was feeling the pace long before the end.
Clarke looked the more composed fighter throughout the contest, but his hopes of clinching Wardley’s British and WBA Continental heavyweight titles were dashed once the judges’ scorecards were read out.
With one scoring the fight 114-113 in favour of Wardley, another seeing it 115-112 for Clarke, and the final judge posting 113-113, the bout was ruled a split draw, allowing Wardley to keep hold of his belts.
Clarke had a point deducted in Round 7 for a low blow, but by this point Wardley’s nose was causing him real problems. The Ipswich-born fighter was visibly irritated as he pawed at his face to try and clear the blood, which was spilling all over his opponent.
Referee Gray called the doctor in to check Wardley’s injury during the later rounds of the fight, but the 29-year-old was permitted to carry on. And that’s just as well, from his perspective, as he withstood a last-gasp onslaught and launched one of his own to gring out a gutsy result at The O2.
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