Fabio Wardley says it is “way too early” to write off Frazer Clarke as a professional heavyweight, with the 34-year-old set for a key test against Justis Huni on Saturday night at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Clarke, who has dropped two of his last three fights, meets Huni on the undercard of Tyson Fury-Arslanbek Makhmudov, while the 27-year-old Australian is fighting for the first time since suffering the first defeat of his career.
Wardley knows both men well enough to give the bout unusual weight. He stopped Huni in 10 rounds in June 2024, after also beating Clarke by stoppage in a more dramatic and concussive fashion than the knockout he later inflicted on the Australian eight months later. That history is why his view matters now, not just as a prediction but as a reading of how each man has held up under pressure.
“It’s a fantastic fight,” Wardley said, crediting both men for taking the contest off losses and “throwing themselves back in the deep end” in a bid to prove they belong at the top level. He also called it a strong stylistic match-up and said the winner can push straight back toward the top end of the division.
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His confidence in Huni is built on what he felt in the ring. Wardley pointed to the Australian’s agility, hands and feet, combinations, footwork, balance and timing, saying he knows when to throw and when not to throw. But he added that Huni’s punch resilience is perhaps not as high as some other heavyweights, noting that one clean shot can still change everything for him.
That is where Clarke comes back into the picture. Wardley said the Briton still has grit, determination, heart and all the qualities he showed in their first fight, and insisted it is too early to say he is finished. Clarke has already made a change in search of a reset, appointing Joe Gallagher as his new trainer before this bout.
The tension in Saturday’s fight is straightforward. Clarke needs to show that the losses have not broken his momentum, and Huni needs to prove that one defeat has not stalled his rise. Wardley, who will defend the WBO heavyweight title against Daniel Dubois at Manchester’s Co-op Live on May 9, said he is leaning slightly toward Huni, but only because of what he endured when he boxed him himself. That is as close as heavyweight boxing gets to a warning sign.
