FABIO WARDLEY had to clean up his rotten fridge after wiping out Frazer Clarke and the British heavyweight division.
Ipswich’s 29-year-old knockout sensation rematched the Olympic bronze winner on Saturday night in Riyadh and was supposed to be in a long and hard fight.
Instead, the former white-collar slugger iced his respected opponent in a single savage round to make himself one of the hottest prospects in world boxing.
The sorry state 33-year-od Clarke was left in – nursing a dented skull and broken cheekbone that required Saudi surgery – meant Wardley had to cool his celebrations.
And after jumping on the 10am flight out of Riyadh, he was brought back to Earth when he found out his kitchen was full of manky grub instead of champagne.
The loveable Suffolk Puncher told SunSport: “Nothing changes for me, even though my missus and mum keep trying to tell me that things have changed now.
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“I went to the same old lunch spot with my old friends on Tuesday that I have been going to for years.
“I even had to run to the Co-Op at about 9pm for bread and milk and bits and bobs that I needed for the house because everything had gone off while I was away.
“Tuesday night was bin day so I was out in the garden wheeling them out, nothing changes.
“I don’t have a butler, I am the same old normal guy and I will be at the football at the weekend and crack on with the lads like I usually do.
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“I will keep it like this for as long as humanly possible.”
A facial surgeon explained that the damage Wardley’s final blow inflicted on Clarke was more similar to a brick attack than a boxing bout.
The 19-stone former bouncer was left stricken in a neutral corner with a deformed jaw and a shattered dream.
The biggest moment of Wardley’s career – most worthy of a wild celebration – suddenly became the most sombre and all of his excitement turned into genuine concern for his fallen foe.
The British champ explained: “I thought of his family in those moments because I had been somewhere similar.
“I was all mashed up in our first fight at the O2 but my mum and missus and family members were allowed in the back room just to see me and hear me tell them that I was fine and that they didn’t need to panic.
“He was away in a foreign country and his missus, kids and mum and dad were at home, watching on TV, not in touching distance and able to just reach out and console him.
“The objective is always to win, in good fashion if possible but it’s never to damage your opponent – in a potentially career-ending way – is never the objective.
“I haven’t spoken to Frazer but I sent him a direct message to say I hope he’s as well as he can be and thanked him for the 13 special rounds.”
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
