Fabio Wardley wants ‘clean’ knockout win against Frazer Clarke to secure future heavyweight world title shot

Fabio Wardley wants a “clean” knockout win over Frazer Clarke to book himself a future heavyweight world title shot.

After an epic draw in their fight for Wardley’s British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles in March, the two will rematch on the bumper October 12 Sky Sports Box Office bill.

As well as having an intense personal and professional rivalry with Olympic medallist Clarke, Wardley believes this fight could see him gatecrash the top tier of the heavyweight division.

“I’m ranked in the top 10 with three or four of the governing bodies, in line for potential world title eliminators, things like that,” Wardley told Sky Sports.

“You never know how the heavyweight division is going to go. You never know who’s going to win, you never know who’s going to lose. You never know how the landscape is going to pan out. So one fight at a time. We tick off Frazer, we have a look.

“At the end of the year, when you see [Tyson] Fury-[Oleksandr] Usyk and them belts fragment and all of that happens, then I’ll set myself in a nice pretty position come January and February, have a look and see where we end up.”

After Daniel Dubois’ shock victory over Anthony Joshua, Wardley expects more changes to sweep through the top end of the division.

“Obviously Usyk [is the unified champion], but we don’t know what he’s going to do,” Wardley added.

“Honestly, he conquered cruiserweight. He’s conquered heavyweight. I would sit at home and look at all my belts and go I don’t know what there is left for me to do here. I think I’m good.

“He’s one of the few people who can look at it and go I’ve completed boxing.”

Of the new wave of fighters coming through, he notes: “Obviously [Dubois] is top of the tree for that as well, definitely, for having the world title.

“Joseph Parker, Martin Bakole, them kind of guys who are on a good little streak of fights and can be in some good entertaining fights and can come through.

“The landscape, it’s definitely in a massive change of guard right now, with Fury losing, with AJ losing, [Deontay] Wilder losing, [Joe] Joyce losing, [Derek] Chisora obviously winning but we know he’s only got a couple left so you don’t really throw him in that mix, Jared Anderson even losing.

“A lot of the people that were at the top, or you would have said were next up, have picked up losses on the way.”

He intends to join that pack. “One-thousand per cent I’m in the mix. I’m one fight away from being in that top echelon position. Clean out Frazer and then I’m in that mix, I’m the next one in question,” Wardley said.

“The next coming up, that next set of people, I can’t think of anyone, aside from me really.

“Undefeated, on the way up, good rankings, all of that, is me. I’m the next one to come through. My proving test is coming up.”

A knockout victory, though, would put him on course for the world title fight he craves.

“It’s not just about winning. It’s about making a statement as well,” Wardley said.

“It’s about doing it in a certain fashion that you garner enough respect. If I labour through 12 rounds, and my face gets cut up and I’m battered and bruised and I win the fight by split decision, a couple of points, people will [think] okay. They’ll probably even call for a third rather than me being able to kick on.

“I have to do it in some sort of clean fashion.”

Don’t miss Wardley vs Clarke II and Beterbiev vs Bivol live on Sky Sports Box Office on Saturday October 12.