Fabio Wardley: From White-Collar to World Title Contender
When Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke stepped into the ring on March 31, fans were treated to one of the best domestic fights in recent times. The British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles were on the line, but it was the intense rivalry between the two fighters that truly captured the attention of the boxing world. The fight, aptly named “Bad Blood,” lived up to its name as both men gave everything they had until the final bell. In the end, the judges scored it a draw, leaving the door open for a potential rematch.
However, Wardley is now exploring other options, including the possibility of fighting for a world title. “I’m in the mix for all of them to be honest,” the 29-year-old said. “So this is the other question in terms of obviously when people ask about the rematch and stuff. The other question is do I follow those routes? Do I try and track down one of [the world titles]? The belts are soon to fragment – do I want to position myself into trying to fight for a world title? So I’ve got options. So we’re going to assess and see what’s best for me.”
As a free agent since his separation from Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn, Wardley has the freedom to choose his next opponent. While his former promoter has suggested Johnny Fisher as an alternative, Wardley believes it’s too soon for the young fighter. “I think Johnny’s a great guy, good friend of mine and he’s got a lot of talent, he’s got a lot in him, so he could be in the mix of us,” he said. “I don’t think he’s there just yet. I wouldn’t like Eddie [Hearn] to over-push him and push him too far. I think he needs to go through a couple of proper fights; proper tests; be in with a real competitor. Someone with ambition; someone who’s really up for it; really game; ready to go.”
Wardley’s journey to the top of the heavyweight division has been unconventional. He didn’t come through the traditional amateur route, instead finding his way into the sport through white-collar boxing. After competing in four contests and winning them all by knockout, he realized that he had found his true calling. “I just fell into it,” Wardley said. “It was the gym I joined – it was a white-collar gym. They were just boxing, doing boxing classes and bits and bobs. And the guy who owned the gym used to put on white-collar shows. And I was two or three months into training and he said, ‘Look, do you want to do a show? Do you fancy it?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, f*** it. I’ll have a go’.”
Since then, Wardley has worked his way up from small hall shows to headlining at the O2 Arena. He hopes that his success will inspire others to make the transition from white-collar to professional boxing. “That’s the whole plan of this, that’s the whole objective behind all this,” he said. “To be the kind of white light that people can look towards; the one people can look up to and go, ‘You know what? Fab’s done it.’ And my big thing is, if you love the sport of boxing, if you care about it, if you want to do well in it, you can succeed in it. That option via white-collar is there for you. You have to do a lot of things; you’ve got to stay committed along the way, but it’s there for you all the same.”
Summary:
Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke’s “Bad Blood” fight for the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles ended in a draw, leaving the door open for a potential rematch. However, Wardley is now considering other options, including the possibility of fighting for a world title. As a free agent, he has the freedom to choose his next opponent, but believes it’s too soon for young fighter Johnny Fisher. Wardley’s journey to the top of the heavyweight division has been unconventional, as he found his way into the sport through white-collar boxing. He hopes to inspire others to make the transition from white-collar to professional boxing.
