Frazer Clarke suffers zygomatic fracture to jaw but won’t be in hospital for long

Frazer Clarke will have surgery following his stunning and sobering one-loss to Fabio Wardley that left him with a fractured jaw in Saudi Arabia.

Clarke found himself trapped on the ropes with his back to Wardley when the British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion unleashed a hellacious right hook to leave Clarke visibly injured to the head and in a state of apparent shock.

The referee, Victor Loughlin, initially issued a standing count before realising the extent of Clarke’s condition when he stopped the fight immediately. The fracture, situated high up on the left side of his jaw, was apparent from a dent in his face and bone misplacement.

Clarke, 33, was taken straight to hospital from where his injury was diagnosed as a zygomatic fracture and an operation will be carried out on his jaw and cheekbone to restore normal facial contour and symmetry.

He is expected to be released from hospital on the day of surgery, though he may be kept in overnight for observation. It is hoped he will not need any metal plates fitted with the estimated healing time between six and eight weeks.

According to the British Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, a zygomatic fracture “can be considered non-vulnerable to reopening or contamination” three weeks after it has healed.

Clarke’s defeat came seven months after he and Wardley shared a rousing 12-rounder at the O2 Arena in London.

 “I always take a prayer before my fight, always ask for me and my opponent to leave and be healthy,” Wardley said after winning the return. “I want, whoever I’m with, to go back to their family and I hope he’s well, I hope I can speak to him because those first 12 rounds we shared were special.”