Frazer Clarke believes Fabio Wardley was on the brink of being withdrawn during their punishing British heavyweight title fight on Sunday.
Clarke had to rise from the canvas in the fifth round and went the distance in an extraordinary contest that was ultimately ruled a draw.
But Burton’s Clarke felt he was on the verge of stopping Wardley in the fight.
“There were a few times I feel like the fight had definitely gone out of him and I think even the corner, they were considering pulling him out personally,” Clarke said of Wardley.
“He’s a warrior, I’ll give him that. Fabio Wardley’s a warrior, he wanted to stay on and fight. If he’s going to go, he’s going to go out on his back,” he told Sky Sports News.
“A couple of times, a few more shots, if I didn’t fall in, which I did towards the end. I think he would have been out of there.”
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Frazer Clarke and Fabio Wardley each give their reasons why they want a rematch following the draw in their heavyweight clash on Sunday night
With the drawn result, Wardley retained the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles. Clarke is desperate for a rematch.
“I’m glad everyone enjoyed the night but for me, it’s about winning the fight. Just taking part but not winning the fight is not good enough for me personally,” he said.
“Really devastated with the decision but I’m in good spirits, I feel like I proved a lot to myself, I proved a lot to other people and I know moving forward from this I’ll be a lot better fighter.”
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Fabio Wardley and Frazer Clarke show respect between each other following the draw in their heavyweight clash last night
Clarke acknowledged: “The ball’s still in his court, he’s still the champion but it’s up to him and his team to make the decision that’s right for him.”
But he believes he’d stop Wardley in a rematch. “I could take him out. I know that now. There’s no secret about it, Fabio hits hard, he does, but I definitely wouldn’t say he’s the biggest puncher I’ve been in there with, he’s definitely right up there,” Clarke said.
“Next time I think I’d go for it early on, I really would.”
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