While Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol put on a fight for the ages in Riyadh on Saturday, the Knockout of the Night belonged to Fabio Wardley, who scored a brutal first-round stoppage triumph over countryman Frazer Clarke to retain his British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles.
MORE: What Anthony Joshua should do after Dubois demolition
In March, Wardley and Clarke engaged in one of the best fights of 2024 when they slugged it out to a draw in London. Understandably, the expectations from most fight fans were that the rematch would be another closely contested battle of attrition between two evenly-matched fighters. Well, the fans were in for a great big surprise!
With less than a minute remaining in the opening round, Wardley landed a huge right hand that shook Clarke to his boots. Trapped in a neutral corner, Clarke gamely tried to fight back but two more vicious rights crashed home, dropping the stricken and barely conscious fighter to a knee. Referee Victor Loughlin called the bout off immediately.
According to the Mail Online, Clarke was taken to a nearby hospital and underwent surgery to his cheekbone and jaw on Sunday. The Olympic bronze medalist will return to the U.K. on Monday evening and is expected to make a full recovery in six to eight weeks.
Following this career-best triumph, Wardley (18-0-1, 17 KOs) debuts in the heavyweight ratings at No. 11. The Englishman’s entry forces Nigerian puncher Efe Ajagba off the list while Frank Sanchez drops one spot to No. 12.
The Sporting News takes a look at the Top-12 best heavyweights in the world today.
Heavyweight rankings: The Sporting News’ top 12
The best in the world at heavyweight: Oleksandr Usyk
As Ukrainian wizard Oleksandr Usyk was cutting a swathe through the cruiserweight division, the undisputed champ was tipped to achieve big things at heavyweight. He didn’t disappoint, scoring two memorable points triumphs over Anthony Joshua.
Due in part to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Usyk has suffered periods of inactivity. The 37-year-old technician returned to action last August and battered Daniel Dubois to a ninth-round stoppage defeat — a victory that has aged spectacularly well in a relatively short period — before targeting undisputed glory.
Usyk’s triumph over Tyson Fury is arguably the finest performance of his Hall of Fame career. Sublimely skilled, but with the courage of a soldier, Usyk is now firmly established as an all-time great in the sport.
The Sporting News’ Boxing Ratings
Men’s P4P | Women’s P4P | Men’s Heavyweight | Men’s YouTube P4P | Women’s YouTube P4P
