FRAZER CLARKE has had plenty of lows in his long amateur career. But nothing can compare to thinking youโve won a World medal only to have the decision overturned. In previous issues this magazine has covered the controversial ruling in depth (read those articles here and here). Now Clarke shares his personal reaction. โYou feel like your worldโs ending,โ he tells Boxing News. โThe lowest moment of my career. Iโve had some ups and some downs but I was so happy to get that World medal because theyโre the kind of thing you look back on in years to come and youโre really proud of. But theyโve taken it away from me. I just donโt feel itโs right.โ
He was just two bout away from an elusive gold medal. โIโve got the big medals. Along with an Olympic medal that would have completed the set,โ he said. It was my last chance because Iโm not going to compete at a World championships again.
โI think it was close, maybe too close watching it back. But Iโm a bit old school, Iโve been in amateur boxing a long time. All this appealing, itโs not for me. The sportโs in a bit of a crazy situation if Iโm honest. A close fight is a close fight. Sometimes youโre on the right end of them, sometimes youโre on the wrong end of them.โ
It was even harder to accept because prior to being a victim of it, Frazer hadnโt even heard of the new ruling. โI didnโt know anything about it,โ Clarke said. โThe only positive, if you want to take it as a positive, is I know whereabouts I am now. Weโre not far away from the big ones and there was nothing for the Olympics at stake. In that sense Iโd rather it happen now than at an Olympic Games.
โI managed to rediscover who I was as a fighter and I was getting better as the days went on.โ
Ironically, GBโs Lauren Price was awarded a World gold medal on appeal at a subsequent tournament. โIโm over the moon for Lauren, sheโs had an unbelievable year, sheโs absolutely flying on the way to Tokyo,โ Clarke said, but adds, โThe judges are there to do a job, if they do their job properly everyone goes home happy.
โIf you get your job done properly first time, no one has to be disappointed.โ
If the original decision had been honoured, Clarke would have gone on to box Bakhodir Jalolov, the Uzbek who attracted controversy for combining a professional career with entering AIBA competitions. โI boxed him 2015 maybe [and won] but saying that, I knew the improvements heโs made physically. When I boxed him he was a bit of a boy and I was bit older than him. I knew heโd got a lot better. Saying that I felt full of confidence going into the fight. If anyone in the super-heavyweight division was going to beat him going into that tournament, it was 100% me.
โIt doesnโt bother me heโs had a few pro fights. I donโt think it gives him any advantage, if Iโm honest. I really donโt. I see a lot of people on Twitter and what not, and Instagram, going crazy about it and Lennox Lewis and [Wladimir] Klitschko talking about it. Klitschko had it bang on. I donโt think it gives any pros any advantage going into the Olympics. I honestly donโt.โ
Different pros, including unified heavyweight champion Andy Ruiz, have been encouraged therefore to enter the Olympics. โAndy Ruiz was mentioned. Heโs welcome,โ Clarkes said. โItโs not a problem for me. Over three three minute rounds, nine minutes. I canโt see many of them winning to be honest.โ