Wardley: "My Nose Has Seen Better Days"

Fabio Wardley (17-0-1, 16 KOs), the British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion, commented on the draw with his compatriot Frazer Clarke (8-0-1, 6 KOs).

"This isn't ideal boxing and fighting style. Fights like this take years off your life and worry your loved ones, so I don't plan to do this too often. But in the end, there's value in it. Knowing that it exists, knowing that I did it for 12 rounds, went through the fire to try and get out. This fight is for the history books. This British title brings out a lot in people, and certainly, the fight with Frazer brought out the best in us. We know how much this belt means to people and how much it means to us. We put on a hell of a show.

My nose has seen better days. It's not broken. I've had a scar there for a while now that keeps opening up. It doesn't help in the middle of a fight, but it's not broken. It's perfectly fine. Honestly, it was more of an annoyance. Blood getting in my mouth, blood getting in my eyes. When you're in the middle of such a firefight, you don't say, 'Oh, that punch hurt.' I'm just doing my job. It was just more cumbersome than anything else.

I'm very proud. I'm not very happy with the performance itself. I did a lot of wrong things, made a lot of mistakes. But it's a learning process. I know I've had 16-17 fights, but I'm still fresh. I'm still learning, and this fight definitely taught me a lot. To be able to put on a performance, in terms of entertainment value, and just to respect the belt – that's something I'm extremely proud of.

In the early rounds, he was actually a bit sharper than I expected. But he came out quite well, throwing that jab, and it took me some time to adjust, but eventually, I did.

I was worried about my mom. 'She doesn't like this. They don't enjoy this fighter.' When you're in the thick of it, you're just worried about what you're trying to do, what the opponent is doing, your brain is constantly thinking and trying to figure out different ways, what will work and what won't.

He was tougher than I expected. When he went down, I thought, 'Okay, cool – let's go. Get him out of there,' but he got up, weathered the storm, and I pressed him three or four more times, but he held on. I thank him for being a strong, brave man in this fight.

Rematch? Fans will probably ask for it. I'll never consider a draw a win, but I still have my belts, and there are still plenty of options on the table for me to look around. Whether it be a rematch or other options – we'll need some time, and then we'll make a decision," said Wardley.

On March 31, at a tournament in Greenwich, UK, Frazer Clarke and Fabio Wardley fought a 12-round bout that ended in a draw. This is the first draw in the careers of both boxers.