There are few feelings in sport worse than losing a boxing match.
There is little worse in boxing than losing by knockout, and losing by knockout early in a fight is more cruel still.
For Frazer Clarke the first-round defeat he suffered against Fabio Wardley in their rematch last October was the sum of all those fears.
“Losing is one thing, losing after the way the first fight was, which I felt I won, is another thing,” he told Sky Sports.
“Losing on such a card, Bivol-Beterbiev in Riyadh, my biggest fight to date for the British title, against Fabio Wardley… We have a natural rivalry.
“Losing in those circumstances, that was difficult to take. As a competitor it’s the worst.”
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Barry Jones thinks the devasting knockout Clarke suffered in October could have an impact on his return to the ring
To those watching Clarke from outside the ropes the knockout was frightening to see. The punch Wardley landed exerted massive force. It left Clarke’s jaw wobbling in an alien fashion, so bad was it that it came as a relief to find out later that he had only suffered a fractured bone unusually high up on the face.
“Once I came out of the brain scan in Saudi and I was greeted by someone that could speak English and another doctor and they were smiling and they said your brain is absolutely fine. The relief in me, it was unbelievable,” he recalled.
“I felt amazing even though I had a dent in my head, just to know there were no serious issues.
“I’ve been there before. I’ve been in that place before. I know I can come back from it.”
As soon as the bone had healed, he wanted to test it out. He was determined to spar as soon as possible. Clarke went into camp with elite heavyweight Joseph Parker. Taking a full-bodied shot from the world-class New Zealander let Clarke know he was where he needed to be in his recovery.
“They reignited something inside of me. Seeing the way they act and the professionalism and the level they’re at, that really helped inspire me,” the Burton man said. “As soon as I could eat food again [after the injury] and my face was on the mend I was dying to spar again.
“Real champions go and do what’s needed, what’s necessary, that’s getting back in the gym, learn again.
“This is an unforgiving game. It’s nothing I didn’t already know.”
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Speaking on The Football Museum, Clarke chooses between winning a world title or scoring a goal in a World Cup final
His comeback starts on Sunday when he fights Ebenezer Tetteh on the Ben Whittaker vs Liam Cameron rematch undercard, live on Sky Sports.
“We know he [Tetteh] fought Daniel Dubois a while ago but he was different then. I think as he’s become maturer he’s become more solid. He’s quite reckless. Never comes to sit down, always come to win,” Clarke said.
“He doesn’t come to fall over. He gives as good as he gets. He’s been in there with some good names and will just let me know where I’m at.”
Clarke has no qualms about swapping the big sparring gloves for the smaller professional gloves on fight night. He is ready for the pain that could come his way.
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Clarke said earlier this year his recovery was going well and he was looking forward to getting back to fighting
“I’m accustomed to being punched in the face. That’s the truth of it. I’ve been doing it for so long and it’s unfathomable and it’s inhuman to so many normal people. To be hit in the face for a normal person is the worst thing in the world. I’ve been doing it for the longest, I don’t like it never, but it happens. I’m just hardened to it,” he said.
Clarke’s ambition burns just as brightly as it ever did.
“If you offered me Fabio Wardley III it would have been yes straight away. That’s just the person I am. I’m a very proud person,” the Olympic super-heavyweight bronze medallist said.
“When adversity happens, you’ve got two choices, you either run from it or run to it. And I’m definitely one of them, I’ll get stuck back in again.”
Watch Frazer Clarke on the Ben Whittaker vs Liam Cameron rematch undercard on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.
