On the eve of their battle, Fabio Wardley and fraser clarkeBen Shalom recognized how transformative success in the heavyweight division would be for the boxer and for Sky Sports.
The rivals will battle it out for the British and Commonwealth titles on March 31 at London's O2 Arena. There, Shalom believes Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are nearing the end of their careers, winning some of their biggest fights to date.
The Boxers are still in their infancy as a promotional organization, but they have a hugely influential broadcaster, Caroline Dubois, who will soon be the world's leading female fighter, and one of Britain's most naturally talented fighters. With Adam Azim and Ben Whittaker widely regarded as the duo, they look like they have a promising future.
What they lack for Clark's potential is a top-tier heavyweight. Especially if Shalom is right about Fury and Joshua, a win over Wardley would raise Clarke's profile in the same way that his win over Dillian Whyte raised Joshua's profile and his defeat of Derek Chisora once did. Fury has been strengthened.
While Shalom wouldn't go so far as to say that only successful heavyweights can make such an impact, he continues to recognize that there are shortcuts he can offer, saying: . About who will win in heavyweight boxing. It's great to have a heavyweight night like this.
“Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury have worked together for years, if not more than a decade in Anthony's case, with other promoters. It's great to have a heavy night. I We believe that there are future stars in this country's sports world.
“I will contribute to them and make sure they get opportunities like Lauren Price at Cardiff.” [against Jessica McCaskill on May 11], so she can become a sports superstar. Make sure Fraser Clarke has a big night at the O2. Make sure Ben Whittaker becomes the biggest star possible. Adam Azim and Caroline Dubois – the list goes on and on.
“We just want to make sure we give them the biggest and best opportunities and get them talking. So far, we've had very good results for a promotional company.
“We've grown up with our fighters. When we started we didn't have stables. We had to build our fighters from scratch, so in our third year at Sky Sports we , the fighters we used in our debuts are starting to show up. Our relationship has grown together and we've grown with them. We hope we can help create the next superstars in this sport.”
In the modern era of British boxing, Fury and Carl Froch are perhaps isolated as fighters who became mainstream figures without the platform provided by the Olympics or Sky Sports, but Shalom said: [Hamed] And Amir Khan takes the sport to a new level.I do not think so [a successful heavyweight] I think Ben Whittaker is the future of the sport, so that's absolutely necessary.
“I think he's going to be the biggest star in world boxing. Adam Azim won't be far behind him and I think those two will have a healthy competition as to who will be the biggest star.
“Caroline Dubois, women's boxing is growing so much that she can be the face of it.
“Superstars are born in every division. If you have the right ingredients, you too can be a star. I don't see any bigger names coming up to the heavyweight division than the names I mentioned.
“It's a big test. People talked. [Clarke] He avoided the fight, but now they say he went to the fight too soon. It's a big battle and a big test.
“At the end of the day, Fraser Clarke has the pedigree, the talent and the ability. If he can match Fabio in grit and determination, he will win the fight. He should win that fight.
“It is easier said than done to match Fabio in these respects. He has done phenomenally well. He deserves a lot of credit because he has very street sense and knows how to carry himself in the ring. So far in his career, he has had more fights than Frazier. He's been tested, but Fabio fighting Fraser Clarke is on a whole different level.
“It's a very interesting fight, but if Fraser is anything like him he should win, but it's a hell of a fight. It's a great fight for British boxing.
“If you look at heavyweights like Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, they're probably having the last fight of their careers. So with headlines like this, a British heavyweight title fight… It's a huge deal for the O2 to host it.”
