- Frazer Clarke underwent successful surgery after sustaining a dent on his face
- Clarke was caught with a monstrous right hand before his first-round knockout
- A leading doctor has likened the blow to being struck on the head with a brick
The punch that floored Frazer Clarke and left him with a grizzly dent on his head in his defeat by Fabio Wardley has been compared to being struck with a brick.
Clarke, 33, underwent surgery after his British and Commonwealth heavyweight title rematch against Wardley ended in a first-round knockout in Saudi Arabia.
Wardley connected with his opponent’s jaw with an explosive right hand after just 2 mins and 28 secs, hospitalising him, and the referee waved the fight off.
The full power of the strike has now been revealed with the British Boxing Board of Control’s chief medical officer, Neil Scott, likening it to the force of a brick.
He told Sky Sports: ‘I’m a maxillofacial surgeon in the NHS and, typically, those kind of injuries are caused by bricks.
Fabio Wardley knocked out Frazer Clarke during a brutal heavyweight showdown in Riyadh
Clarke was left with a visible dent on his head after an explosive punch and underwent surgery
‘With the size of the glove it’s not something we see in boxing.
‘It must be a tremendous amount of power to do that.’
Ben Shalom, Clarke’s promoter, provided an update on the fighter’s recovery after he was taken to hospital.
‘Frazer successfully underwent minor surgery,’ Shalom said.
‘He’s feeling well and rested and will head back to the UK this evening to further recover with his family.’
Clarke is expected to take around six to eight weeks to recover from the blow.
The referee waved off the fight after Clarke slumped over following Wardley’s explosive blow
Wardley sent his best wishes to his opponent after retaining his belt, saying ‘I hope he’s well’
After retaining his title in Riyadh, Wardley sent his best wishes to his rival.
‘I always take a prayer before my fight, always ask for me and my opponent to leave and be healthy,’ he said following the bout.
‘I want, whoever I’m in with, to go back to their family and I hope he’s well, I hope I can speak to him afterwards because those first 12 rounds we shared were special.
‘I had to make a statement tonight. I appreciate the war last time and what a great spectacle that was.’
