Frazer Clarke: ‘The journey’s over’

Frazer Clarke

FRAZER CLARKE has 25 stitches in the cuts healing over his eyes and a broad smile across his face. Not yet, but soon, he’ll have a bronze medal around his neck. The big man from Burton has had a good Olympic Games. The cuts came from the headbutts that got Mourad Aliev disqualified in their quarterfinal, his satisfaction from the sterling efforts that led to his semi-final against impressive Uzbek Bakhodir Jalolov.

Clarke lost the first two rounds against the Uzbek in their semi-final, but not before shaking Jalolov and handing him a standing count in the second. A big punch had reopened the cut over his right eye. Their bout had to be stopped and Jalolov is a worthy finalist.

โ€œIโ€™ve had seven, eight and 10 [stitches], so thereโ€™s a lot of stitches in my face at the minute,โ€ he tells Boxing News. โ€œI knew it was bad. If you watch the fight back, you probably wonโ€™t have noticed, a lot of people wonโ€™t but Iโ€™m literally trying to blindside the referee. Iโ€™m an experienced fighter, Iโ€™m trying to get round the referee and use my experience. Because I know if he sees that cut, [itโ€™s over]. I didnโ€™t know the extent of it but I knew it was bad because I could see the blood going onto Jalolovโ€™s shoulder when we were in the clinch. So that only comes from a bad cut. So I was trying to stay on the blindside of him for as long as I could. I think I got an extra minute out of it. Obviously the task in front of me and the man that is Jalolov, youโ€™re going to need more than a minute to try and get rid of him because heโ€™s a good fighter. Itโ€™s one of them things.โ€

โ€œ[Jalolov] was winning the fight, Iโ€™m not delusional. Heโ€™s a huge man. I boxed him before. I boxed him when he was a kid, [which Clarke won]. This is six years later and the difference is unbelievable. He was heavy handed and he was long and rangy and he moved well. He made it difficult for me. I couldnโ€™t really get my jab off. I would like to go again because I feel like if I got my tactics right, I could do better. Thatโ€™s just me as a person. Landing that one right hand [in the second round], I was still losing the round. Iโ€™ve had a few people saying to me, you should have won the second,โ€ Frazer said. โ€œIt wasnโ€™t enough to win the round. Iโ€™m just dead honest. He was winning the fight. The third round I felt like I was going to have a right good go. I had nothing to lose, youโ€™re boxing the number one seed, youโ€™re losing, two rounds down, youโ€™ve got to go for it. I had a little go, the refereeโ€™s seen me bleeding everywhere and stopped it, thereโ€™s not a lot more I can do is there.โ€

He had certainly shown the weight of his own punches in that bout. โ€œIโ€™ve got the power. Iโ€™ve never doubted it and those that have – theyโ€™ve never been in the ring with me. But Iโ€™ve definitely got the power, the experience, the skills so Iโ€™m looking forward to the next step. Donโ€™t get me wrong, I know that Iโ€™ve almost got to go back to school now, Iโ€™ve got to start from scratch. Iโ€™ve got to get a team together, learn new skills. Iโ€™ve got experience but you have to learn new skills, learn a new way of boxing. I probably should try and find some abs in this body. Itโ€™s going to be difficult considering I never found them yet but apparently if you work hard and stop eating crap, they are in there,โ€ he laughed. โ€œI can fight thatโ€™s the most important thing.โ€

His Olympics is over, heโ€™s fought his last amateur contest but before he returns from Tokyo, heโ€™ll roar his last two competing team-mates on in their finals on Saturday and Sunday.

โ€œItโ€™s over. The journeyโ€™s over. A couple of days ago I couldnโ€™t say that you because I was getting teary every time that people mentioned that that was my last amateur bout. It hit me right in the heart and it hurt. Itโ€™s a good feeling,โ€ he explained. โ€œSo Iโ€™m over the moon. Iโ€™m buzzing. I havenโ€™t got my medal yet, Iโ€™ll get it on Sunday but right now Iโ€™m more concerned about Galal [Yafai] being in the final and Lauren [Price]. Iโ€™m over the moon for them two,โ€ Clarke said.

He took even more satisfaction at seeing Yafai guarantee himself at least a silver than he did at securing his own bronze. โ€œIt was 100% the best moment of my Games,โ€ Frazer insisted. โ€œThe way I did get my medal, the fight with Aliev, it wasnโ€™t the way I wanted to get it. I canโ€™t celebrate a disqualification. I just couldnโ€™t do it. So it was a strange one. Itโ€™s a great feeling now but Iโ€™m a competitor. I wanted to win that fight the right way. Even though it was out of my hands, Iโ€™m in there to box. Galal winning yesterday meant more to me than that day. Now it wonโ€™t do eventually but at the time it was fantastic.โ€

frazer clarke
LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images

Clarke is the captain of this Tokyo squad, the most successful British Olympic boxing team in a hundred years. He has shown real leadership himself in the process. โ€œThe team have done so well and Iโ€™ll have a big smile on my face but at the same time a heavy heart, gutted for Chev [Clarke], Charley [Davison], Caroline [Dubois], Peter [McGrail. Theyโ€™ve done fantastic but it just wasnโ€™t to be for them,โ€ Frazer said. โ€œI had the experience and I feel like people could speak to me. Itโ€™s a skill which Iโ€™ve got without actually knowing Iโ€™ve got. I donโ€™t try, itโ€™s something that comes naturally to me and if people enjoy it and people are willing to listen to me and let me be a leader, Iโ€™ll do that no problem. But itโ€™s natural and, like I say, Iโ€™m surrounded by leaders. I might be the biggest and the loudest but in the background theyโ€™re all helping each other and thatโ€™s the truth.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m just enjoying being part of Team GB. Being part of GB Boxing. Iโ€™m a little bit stuck for what I do now. Iโ€™m dragging Tokyo out as much as I can because Iโ€™m going to be lost when I get back. Without being part of this team, Iโ€™m going to be a bit lost,โ€ he adds. โ€œThe thought of not being part of GB Boxing anymore, it hits me right in the heart, honestly. A third of my life Iโ€™ve been through and theyโ€™ve seen me through, both my kids have been born and theyโ€™ve seen me through that, helped me through the good times, the bad times, people have been there for me. Iโ€™ve seen them more than my family. Amazing.โ€

But one day, who knows, perhaps after his professional career, he might return as coach or performance director like Rob McCracken is now. โ€œI feel like Iโ€™ve got experience and knowledge which I could definitely pass on,โ€ he suggests. โ€œOne day I reckon Iโ€™ll be walking through that gym in Sheffield with a cup of tea and a biscuit a bit like Rob.โ€

On Sunday, in the final act of this Olympic tournament, heโ€™ll step on to the podium to receive his super-heavyweight bronze medal. โ€œIโ€™ve been myself. Iโ€™ve enjoyed it. Iโ€™ve done it all with a ย smile on my face. Iโ€™ll go on that podium like Iโ€™ve won the gold medal. Iโ€™ll have a bigger smile than anyone. Because Iโ€™m happy person, Iโ€™m healthy, my family have supported me. The thing Iโ€™m most happy about is the team,โ€ Clarke said. โ€œ[The medal] I think it represents quite a few things. Not giving up and believing in yourself when maybe not so many people did. Definitely, definitely, very proud of it and Iโ€™ll continue to be very proud of it. Itโ€™s more what it means to my family. My family are so proud, to see my nan and grandad crying on facetimeโ€ฆ Them moments will be in my heart forever. So it means the world to me.โ€

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