The possible under-card is shaping up, sort of at this early stage, for the planned Wembley date heavyweight star and former two-time world champion Anthony Joshua is set to have in September. A big press conference will take place at the end of the month and we will know far more then; such as who AJ will face in the headline act (with Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang all in the frame).
But already, there has been some talk of one possible supporting feature of a fight and this one is also a heavyweight fight. The rematch between Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke, who battled to a thrilling, bloody draw back in March at The O2, could take place at Wembley. Clarke spoke with Sky Sports and he said there are “deep conversations going on” regarding the possibility of the rematch taking place at Wembley on September 21st.
As great as the first fight was, and as so utterly close as it was in the end – a draw of course being as close as any fight can possibly be – a return makes so much sense. And as an under-card fight, Clarke-Wardley II would add great value for money for fans.
“I can’t tell you too much, but what I can tell you now is there are deep conversations going on and it’s just the little nitty-gritty bit now,” Clarke said. “It shouldn’t be too long and I think we’re about there, and hopefully we’ll have good news for British fight fans. The general sense is everyone enjoyed it [the first fight], so hopefully we can give these guys entertainment again. It’s definitely a possible option [to have the rematch go ahead on the AJ card], but I think we both did ourselves a favour in the performance last time where we both have options.”
As Clarke said, the first fight proved such a hit with fans that a rematch could be a big headlining act at another big venue, or it could be a big supporting fight on the Wembley bill. As is usually the case, money will talk. But both Wardley and Clarke want to fight a second time, to prove who is the better fighter. Wardley, 17-0-1(16) was badly busted up in the fight that saw him retain his British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles, while Clarke, 8-0-1(6) proved in the fight that he can battle hard for all 12 rounds. In fact both men showed so much in the March fight, and again, we fans want to see the sequel.
If things work out right, this fight will go ahead on the AJ card and, seeing how stacked the big Saudi-backed cards have been lately, there could be another three or four excellent match ups on the night.
Who wins if/when Wardley and Clarke rumble again?
