FRAZER CLARKE says he was left feeling like a real-life drunk Phil Mitchell in the aftermath of his devastating knockout loss to Fabio Wardley.
The pair treated British fans to a 12-round modern classic in March 2024 – which ended in a draw.
So there was nothing to split them heading into the Riyadh rematch last October – until Wardley knocked out Clarke in the opening round.
Clarke needed emergency surgery on his jaw and cheekbone but returned to his partner and two children soon after.
But opening up on the emotion of defeat, he told Ring Magazine: “Oh man, it was just…
“You know when you used to watch episodes of Eastenders where Phil Mitchell was on a mad one with a bottle of vodka on the park bench? That’s how it felt every day to be honest.”
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Clarke had to quickly dust himself down and transform from beaten boxer to dotting dad.
And the father-of-two added: “You know what makes it hard? It’s the fact that when bad things happen in life, the world still carries on.
“When I got back on the Monday morning, I went straight from the airport to my daughter’s school.
“She’d seen what had happened in the fight and was all upset so I went to see her straight away.
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“I wanted to just let her know that I was alright because I was very worried about what she’d seen.
“Then I went to see my son too and we had a lovely night with the family just really being thankful that the situation wasn’t worse than it was.
“It could have been a lot worse, the way it looked on TV. As mad as it sounds, we had a nice night with a lot of laughter and love, everyone was just happy I was back in one piece.
“But then the next day, on the Tuesday, my Mrs went back to work, the kids had gone to school and I find myself at home on my own.
“I just drew the curtains and stuck Only Fools And Horses on and sat there. I didn’t touch my phone for about a week because it was just blowing up.
“And I couldn’t get away from seeing the knockout which I didn’t really want to see – so yeah, it’s a dark place.”
Clarke – who won bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 – had to fight calls to retire following his first professional defeat.
But the 33-year-old has always backed himself – and had to do so again.
He said: “You have this unwavering delusion that you are invincible and I’m not afraid to say that.
You know when you used to watch episodes of Eastenders where Phil Mitchell was on a mad one with a bottle of vodka on the park bench? That’s how it felt every day to be honest.
Clarke on his loss to Wardley
“I’ve had some of my friends ask me how I’d get on against a prime Mike Tyson, Anthony Joshua or with Tyson Fury.
“You seem to always back yourself and think you’ll find a way so I’m not embarrassed to say that,
“I didn’t think what happened was possible and that’s just the headspace you get yourself into.
“But looking back now I was probably a little bit naive against Fabio Wardley, who is a very dangerous puncher.
“It did happen but this is what being a champion is about; reflecting and learning and I’m definitely doing that now.
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“I’m not taking that as a loss or a failure, it was just one of the biggest lessons I can ever get that’s going to propel me going forward in my career.”
Clarke is back on Easter Sunday in Birmingham against Ebenezer Tetteh – on the undrcard of Ben Whittaker and Liam Cameron’s rematch.
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
