Not the Average Joe: Wardley and Clarke need a break

LAST weekend in at the O2 Arena in London we saw another great British title contest end in a draw.

It was the second within a fortnight, as heavyweights Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke fought each other to a standstill in a not-too-dissimilar fashion to what Nathan Heaney and Brad Pauls did for the middleweight title two weeks earlier in Manchester.

As with Heaney and Pauls, I’d like to see a rematch between the Wardley and Clarke. Not only because the judges couldn’t split them on the night but also because it was a brilliant fight to watch.

I do, however, think the two heavyweights shouldn’t box again for six months or so. Both took a lot of damage in the contest and, aside from the superficial injuries of cuts and bruises, their brains could certainly do with a rest from taking any more punches.

Of course, it’s part of the sport, but after the punishment both men dished out it would be foolish of either to rush back into a fight or even to be back sparring too soon afterwards. Boxing is a brutal sport and as fans we love to see exciting, back and forth, action-packed fights like this one. But at the same time the fighters need to make sure they look after themselves and those around them play their part as best as they can so that the negative long-term effects of boxing can be minimal.

To be honest, I found it a bit hard to watch the two trade shots the way they did, especially late on in the fight when you know they are most likely dehydrated and certainly fatigued, without thinking what the possible ramifications could be for the two of them.

I wrote last week that I thought Dalton Smith and Adam Azim should box each other next and explained why.

Unfortunately, it looks like that won’t be the case as Azim has relinquished his European super-lightweight title and looks set to box Harlem Eubank next instead. That should prove quite a good contest, but it is ultimately a step back from European Level competition and perhaps indicates where Azim’s team thinks he is in his current development.

I see no point in Smith pursuing a fight against Azim at the moment. Instead, he should look to build on his win over Jose Zepeda with another fringe world-level opponent. Then who knows maybe even go for Josh Taylor or Jack Catterall depending on how their fight goes next month. A fight between the loser of Taylor and Catterall and Smith later in the year would certainly be a matchup with plenty on the line.