Promoter Ben Shalom nodded in agreement when told last weekend in Riyadh was not a good one for him.
The stock of two of his highest profile signings, heavyweight Frazer Clarke and light heavyweight Ben Whittaker, plummeted sharply after Clarke was stopped by a Fabio Wardley right hand in the first round and Whittaker looked listless until he and Liam Cameron jointly fell backward over the top rope and Whittaker failed to continue.
Clarke had surgery on a broken jaw, Whittaker left the ring in a wheelchair.
Shalom, comparatively inexperienced when compared to many of the veteran promoters in the sport, is now charged with bringing back two profile fighters who are only at the beginning of their professional journeys.
Asked how Clarke was recovering, Shalom said: “He’s well. He’s motivated. I heard him today talking about coming back. He’s gutted, because one punch can change your career and change a fight completely. But the main thing is he’s safe and, in that moment, nothing else matters.
“You question why you’re in the sport. We know how dangerous this sport can be and, in those moments, nothing else matters. It’s your health, it’s your family, and that’s it. And it was a frightening moment for everyone involved. But the way he was treated, the attention that he got, was incredible. It was top class, and it’s allowed him to now reflect, it’s allowed him to have his scans, everything is okay on the brain. No problems in that respect. And now it’s time to recover. I think we’ll see him back in the ring early next year and using this as fuel to make sure he fulfils his potential.
“For me, Frazer Clarke is a talented fighter. For me, he’s a more talented fighter than Fabio Wardley, but he got caught by a ruthless finish and that’s something he will have to go back, discuss with his team and make sure he’s more prepared than last time. But there’s some massive British fights out there. I’d love to see the Johnny Fisher fight. I think that is a fight we were discussing, or looking at, potentially doing prior to this fight. I think David Adeleye, Jaimie TKV, there’s some big domestic fights there that you can see getting Frazer Clarke back in the ring and back on the road to the top of the division.”
For Whittaker, the road back is different. He will be more widely questioned then Clarke, partly because of the ending of his technical draw with Cameron and partly because he went viral for very different reasons than the showmanship that has attracted millions of followers on social media.
“It was a bad performance. It was a bad, bad performance,” Shalom admitted. “I’d never seen him box like that. I’ve never seen him get caught with shots like that. Something wasn’t right. His timing wasn’t right and I think for me, having had time to reflect on it, it’s one of those moments in a sportsman or women’s career where you can go either way. And I think this will be the making of him. And I think sometimes you can have so much coming at you. He’s become one of the most recognized sports people in the UK overnight. He’s got brand deals coming out of his arse. He’s got more money being thrown at him – not from his boxing – just because of the star that he’s become as well and sometimes you just need that moment, that reality check to say, ‘Remember what’s important. And what goes on in the ring and your development is important. You might have all the talent in the world, but these guys are fighting for their lives in that ring and every day there in that gym’. And I believe this will be the making of him. I know him very well.
“He’s hurting a lot right now, naturally, and he’s a perfectionist, but a lot of people have been waiting to jump on him and he’s going through it now. But he will be back, and he will use this, I believe, to really change a lot of things.”
Read the full article here
