- Matty Briggs
- 15 June 2023
Frazer Clarke accused of 'assault' at Mariusz Wach weigh-in
Prince Patel claims he will "be taking legal action" against heavyweight Frazer Clarke over a reported 'assault' at Thursday's fight weigh-in.
Clarke captained the GB Boxing Team at the Tokyo Olympics after being at the heart of the squad for over a decade.
Clarke, who fought back from a life-threatening stabbing, said it was "one of the proudest achievements of my life".
Coached by Richard Joyce at Burton Amateur Boxing Club, Clarke admits to previously going down "the wrong path".
While out drinking in 2016, Clarke says he thought he was getting into a fight, but ended up getting stabbed three times - once in his neck.
The boxer, who had a two-week old daughter at the time, says he will never forget the "dreadful" experience.
Turning pro
Clarke signed a multi-fight deal with Ben Shalom's Boxxer outfit in December 2021.
He also penned a a deal with 258 management and will have former sparring partner Anthony Joshua as a mentor.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Clarke said: "Since I got back from the Olympics there's been a lot of interest in where I was going to go.
"After weighing up all the options and speaking to the guys at BOXXER and Sky Sports, I came to this decision and here we are, ready to take the first step."
Tokyo Olympics
Clarke got the better of Tstone Rogava in the opening round in Tokyo, as he won via split decision. His quarter-final bout next ended in controversy.
The Brit faced Mourad Aliev at this stage. The Frenchman was disqualified at the end of the second round as he was penalised for head clashes. Aliev protested in the ring after the call was made, but Clarke advanced.
Clarke's Olympic journey did not end as he would have intended. He faced the number one seed, Bakhodir Jalovov in the semi-final. Clarke suffered a serious cut and as a result, the fight had to be called off in the final round. Jalovov was awarded the win while Clarke picked up a bronze medal.
Paris qualifying
Clarke considered turning pro after the Tokyo Olympics were put back a year.
"I'd be lying if I said turning pro hadn't crossed my mind," said Clarke.
The Olympic qualifiers in London were called off mid-tournament due to the Covid-19 pandemic. A week later the Games were pushed back a year, leaving Clarke with a decision to make.
"Some people have told me I should have done it years ago, others that I should do it now as I'm not so young.
"Another year to wait is a long time when the nature of your sport is bruises, cuts and breaks.
"But ever since I watched Amir Khan win silver in Athens - this 17-year-old schooling blokes and coming home to manic scenes on the streets of Bolton - I've wanted a piece of that."
It was that desire to follow in the footsteps of Khan that saw Clarke seal his place for Japan in June 2021 in Paris.
Clarke had to finish in the final four with no second chances. And he put in a powerful performance to get a unanimous decision against Turkey's Berat Acar.
Acar had to take a standing count in round two, but he ended the contest swinging wild hooks, but Clarke stood firm.
Ivan Veriasov was his opponent in the semi-final, but Clarke was awarded a walkover.
He faced France's Mourad Aliev in the final, but Anthony Joshua's old sparring partner came out second best to sharpshooting southpaw Aliev.
The home fighter won on points (30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 28-29, 30-27), but with his ticket already booked for Tokyo, Clarke's job was done.
Rio 2016
While Brazil's home boxers stole the limelight at the Olympic Games test event in December 2015 in Rio with three of the six Brazilian finalists winning gold, Clarke also stamped his authority in the 91+kg weight category.
Then 24, Frazer was one of five British boxers who reached the finals in Barra da Tijuca.
And in the last final of the day Clarke took the super heavyweight gold against Germany's Erik Pfeifer in a hard-fought contest.
Clarke though was overlooked for selection for the Rio games in 2016. It was the second time he had missed out on the showpiece with Anthony Joshua getting the nod at London 2012 and winning gold.
In 2016, with Clarke's problems well documented, Joe Joyce was selected. Joyce went on to win silver, losing in controversial circumstances to France's Tony Yoka in the final.
The split decision - Yoka (30-27, 29-28) and Joyce (29-28) - was met with a chorus of boos with The Guardian claiming it "was a poor verdict".
Joyce of course has gone on to greater things and turned professional in July 2017 at the age of 31.
And in November 2020 Joyce captured the vacant European, British, Commonwealth and WBC Silver heavyweight titles with an impressive stoppage of Daniel Dubois.
Other achievements
His greatest boxing achievement to date is his gold medal win in the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia.
Clarke defeated India's Satish Kumar on the Gold Coast in what was the final boxing match of the Games.
He had fought and beaten Kumar just over two years previously, in the semi-finals of the Rio 2016 test event.
And he came out on top again against his older rival in a close points decision.
Going into the final round, the result was in the balance, but Clarke saved his best until last and that proved crucial with Clarke dedicating the win to his daughter.
Clarke also tasted gold at the European Union Championships in 2018 in Spain.
Four years on from winning gold in Sofia against Italian Guido Vianello, Clarke defeated Bulgarian Petar Belberov.
He also scooped silver in the 2017 European Championships in Ukraine, losing unanimously on points to home fighter Victor Vykhryst in the gold medal match.
Personal Life
During his rise through the ranks, Clarke worked in fight security and is seen in the middle of a brawl which broke out between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte in 2015.
Net Worth
Clarke is believed to be worth an estimated $1million.
