On Sunday, March 31, Fabio Wardley (17-0, 16 KOs) will face fellow undefeated fighter Frazer Clarke (8-0, 6 KOs) in the primary occasion on the Boxxer promotions Dangerous Blood card on the O2 Enviornment in London. Through the years there have been some memorable all-British fights, and as we construct as much as March 31, we wished to convey you 5 epic all-British heavyweight bouts to assist set the stage for Wardley vs. Clarke.
Setting the Stage for Fabio Wardley vs. Frazer Clarke
Reliving 5 Epic All-British Heavyweight Bouts
Lennox Lewis vs. Frank Bruno
On October 1, 1993, Lennox Lewis confronted Frank Bruno at Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff, Wales for the WBC heavyweight title. The buildup was not a pleasant one, with Bruno accusing the Lewis camp of utilizing the insult “Uncle Tom.”
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As soon as combat night time arrived, the ambiance was electrical, with Bruno beginning the brighter, and hurting Lewis with a giant proper hand early on. Lewis slowly bought into the combat and eventually caught his opponent with a giant left hook in spherical seven, which he adopted up with a wise mixture, which finally stopped Bruno. This victory propelled Lewis to show he was one of the best heavyweight of his period.
David Haye vs. Derek Chisora
On July 14, 2012, a fierce rivalry between Derek Chisora and David Haye that started with an unpleasant press convention scuffle in Germany, lastly made its solution to Upton Park. As a result of troubles in Germany, the bout was licenced by the Luxembourg Boxing Federation and was marketed as “Licensed to Thrill.”
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Chisora appeared to make use of his larger body to bully Haye and it appeared to be working till “Hayemaker” began to search out his vary with extra regularity, after which in spherical 5, a monster left hook from Haye knocked down “Battle,” who managed to beat the rely, however “The Hayemaker” smelt blood, touchdown one other heavy left hook, knocking his opponent down, forcing the referee to wave the combat off.
Henry Cooper vs. Joe Bugner
Henry Cooper vs. Joe Bugner passed off on March 16, 1971, at Wembley Enviornment, and is remembered for its controversial ending, and being the ultimate combat of Cooper’s profession. After 15 gruelling rounds, the sell-out 10,000 crowd erupted right into a loud refrain of boos when Bugners hand was raised in victory by the margin of 1 / 4‐level, with the scores being 73¾ factors to 73½.
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It was typically a battle of the jabs with 21-year-old Bugner tentative in his strategy. The Lambeth-born fighter struggled to let his trademark left hook go, and with the combat shut, Bugner pulled forward within the center rounds, however the 36-year-old Cooper got here combating again within the later rounds and was the aggressor on the finish of the combat.
Boxing commentator Harry Carpenter summed it up completely on the time, saying: “How on the earth can you’re taking away the person’s three titles like that?”
Carl Froch vs. George Groves II
On Could 31, 2014, Carl Froch and George Groves met of their rematch at Wembley Stadium in London, England in entrance of 80,000 individuals, in what was the biggest-ever attendance for a boxing match in Britain for the reason that Second World Battle. The primary combat was one of the controversial endings in British boxing historical past, with Froch surviving a first-round knockdown earlier than he harm Groves in spherical 9 for the primary time within the combat, with referee Howard Foster stepping in to wave the combat off.
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The rematch was once more for Froch’s IBF and WBA straps and was extra tactical than their first encounter, with each seeking to outbox the opposite reasonably than have interaction. It was an in depth combat because the bout reached spherical eight, with “The Cobra” touchdown the extra telling blows, however “Saint George” was working effectively creating angles that had been giving him success. Froch then delivered an enormous proper hand whereas pinned on the ropes, knocking Groves out and forcing the referee to name the combat off.
Nigel Benn vs. Chris Eubank
Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn locked horns of their much-anticipated rematch on October 9, 1993. Their first combat noticed Eubank win by ninth-round TKO in Birmingham on November 18, 1990. The boisterous crowd of 42,000 individuals witnessed an action-packed rematch.
Benn began the aggressor, throwing heavy-handed proper hooks earlier than Eubank showcased his distinctive footwork, which enabled him to create an angle to land a straight proper, which shook the “Darkish Destroyer.” Benn did his finest work when he evaded that lead hand from Eubank and bought inside to work the physique.
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In spherical 5, there was a fierce change between the 2, with “Merely the Greatest” getting on prime in these exchanges. Benn got here on robust as we entered the latter a part of the combat. The ultimate spherical noticed Eubank finish the stronger, with each fighters celebrating after the ultimate bell. The decide’s scorecards learn 114-113 for Benn, 115-113 for Eubank and the ultimate card 114-114.
