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Jamie Tykw is the new British Heavyweight Champion after a controversial split decision win fraser clarkeRaw statistics will never be enough to tell the story of 12 consecutive rounds of fighting,
At midnight on Saturday, inside Valiant Live in Derby, Clarke wanted to talk to her mother, and TKV was still trying to put on a one-sided, pained smile. It was a study of contradictions and suffering. And they both suffered during and after their bruising, bad-tempered, and personal fight.
At the end of twelve rounds, they were both exhausted, their legs were unsteady and hurt. TKV’s right eye was almost closed and Clark was bleeding profusely. It was close, but the vote went to the right man.
This fight was seen for the first time in primetime BBC Over 20 years, and it was a harsh reminder of how brutal, cruel, and brilliant great art can be. It was very difficult, especially for Clarke during the last two desperation tours.
There is a lot of nonsense being said about this right now boxing Losing their edge, there were fantasy fights, choreographed exhibitions and D-list celebrities slapping each other, but Clark and TKV restored the good name of the sport in one big night.
It wasn’t always pretty, but it was impossible to overcome, especially as the later rounds slowed the pair down, and each of them took long and powerful swings at the other. It was a unique night of pain and sacrifice for BBC 2; Forget the staged drama, this was a real story played out in 36 minutes of action.
There is a process and a reason for winning the British Heavyweight title, one of the sacred crowns of the sport; The Lonsdale belt, which the winner holds temporarily in victory, remains the finest belt the boxing world has ever offered. The real prize is moving up boxing’s invisible but slippery ladder to the shining lights of the heavyweight promised land.
In modern times it is not such a distant place. At one time it was off limits to British giants, but that has all changed; During the last ten years, seven British Heavyweight Champions have fought for versions of the World Heavyweight title and four have won the title. It’s been a glorious time and, sadly, a lot of great nights and battles have gone under the radar; The return of the BBC adds to the richness of the game at this time.
Apparently, the BBC screened major fights featuring two other British heavyweight world champions, Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno. Saturday’s fight was spot on, a perfect return to action for the channel – I may be biased, I was part of the BBC team that night!
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The fight went on both sides in the first six rounds. They were both scoring with big shots, both supporting each other and both being supported. It was soon rough, tough and had a lot of violations. In the third, TKV was awarded a point for consecutive low strikes. Clarke was also guilty of stray shots, some of which strayed very low. Each of them used their elbows, their bulk, and both threw and held on occasion. It was a fierce fight with a lot of pride, a lot of pride.
In close, TKV was able to find enough space and time to land repeatedly with a short and damaging left hook. It became a symbol of his victory and Clark seemed unable to defend it. It is very easy to say that Clark fought the wrong fight, came too close and allowed TKV to dominate every time they were in a losing position. It did, but it ignores what TKV did and how it kept Clarke close while not giving her room to move.
Clark admitted that his strategy was wrong; TKV talked all week about what he would do, and he did. It might have seemed like a simple dispute between two very big giants, but it was much smarter than that. And Tottenham man TKV was the smartest boxer that night, but he had entered as the underdog. There was also a sensible thought before the fight that Clark, with his Olympic pedigree, would be too smart on the night. Clark was sucked in; TKV was at home, very close and very personal.
The scores were 115–113 and 115–112 for TKV, with a tie of 115–112 for Clark. He could barely stand straight when the decision was announced, so complete was his commitment to the belt. The winner and loser will now take a long break and then proceed.
A rematch is possible and he’ll do good business anywhere. It was a wild night, one that both men would need a lot of time to recover from. Their rematch, assuming it’s at 8 p.m., will have to come with a parental warning. This was not a night for fuss.