BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – The last time Frazer Clarke was in a boxing ring, he left with a good amount of his face hammered out of shape and having suffered severe damage to his cheek and jaw.

In hospital in Saudi Arabia in October, Clarke was left contemplating what had hit him as doctors and nurses fussed around him, trying to repair the physical damage that had been wreaked upon him by the fists of Fabio Wardley.

That had not been in the script. In just a round, Wardley had done more to Clarke’s face than he’d managed in 12 thrilling heavyweight frames at London’s O2 in one of the best fights of 2024. That is what many expected when they boxed a second time.

Instead, the former Olympian Clarke was forced into a rebuilding phase, mentally as well as physically, and started here against Ebeneezer Tetteh, a Ghanaian who in previous fights against other UK heavyweights was stopped in one by the IBF champion Daniel Dubois in 2019 and in Gibraltar in December by Dillian Whyte.

Clarke more than matched them, by dispatching Tetteh to the canvas with a clinical right hand in the opening exchanges and then forcing the referee Kevin Parker’s intervention.

Tetteh had attempted to capitalise on any apprehension Clarke may have felt by winging in huge right hands from the start, but Clarke held firm, stood his ground, and then cracked Tetteh with an almighty right. Tetteh dropped hard and Parkr picked up the count. He allowed the visitor to continue but Clarke piled in, landed another big right and, as he sized Tetteh up for more, the referee intervened.

The crowd roared but they couldn’t drown out Clarke’s shriek, which was clearly a mix of both joy and relief. He is 9-1-1 (7 KOs). Tetteh, stopped after 1:52 of the first round, is 23-3 (20 KOs).

"I’ve been crying out for that performance since my debut," said the 33-year-old Clarke, after Tetteh protested against what had seemed a justifiable stoppage. "I’ve been in a dark place at times. That feels amazing.

"Thanks everyone who has been with me the last six months. It’s been difficult. It was one of them you feel it go down your legs. I knew he wasn’t there; I feel the referee did a good job.

"I think it makes perfect sense [for me to fight David Adeleye if he beats Jamie Tshikeva]. I think it speaks for itself. I’d love the winner of that fight. I think it would be a great fight, and now it’s over to Ben [Shalom, my promoter].

"I want to be out as soon as possible. I feel the best I ever felt. All the adversity of Fabio and being done in one, it’s forged a strong, strong Frazer Clarke. I said all questions will be answered on Sunday. Best believe it, Big Frazer is back."

"What happened [against Wardley] was a scary moment for all involved." said Boxxer's Ben Shalom. "We know he’s above that level. We will get Adeleye and Jeamie TKV on in June and he should get the winner."

Like Clarke, Tyler Denny had his own demons to overcome. Last time he boxed, in September, he was stopped in two timid rounds by Hamzah Sheeraz and he did not look himself. Here, the West Midlands southpaw – 20-3-3 (1 KO) – was matched with Elvis Ahorgah, mostly on account of Ahorgah making an impact as a charismatic opponent for Boxxer’s Callum Simpson – who was watching from ringside – in December.

Simpson stopped the African in round five, but the southpaw Denny doesn’t have that kind of firepower and won by the lone scorecard of 97-92.

He took a careful look at Ahorgah, 13-4 (12 KOs), in rounds one and two, but as he warmed to his task, he began to thread his shots together, with an industrious right hand exploring for openings through hooks, jabs, and uppercuts.

Ahorgah, 24, attempted to force the pace in the third but in doing so he left gaps and Denny managed to score frequently with both hands to the body. But Denny paid a price for working in close quarters and blood spilled from his mouth. Still, he was impressive in bursts, firing off four or five shots and moving away to safety before Ahorgah could retaliate.

Ahorgah, as advertised, was game. He dared Denny to make more of a fight of it – to use brawn rather than skills – but that is not Denny’s way, and he didn’t need to buckle to those demands. Ahorgah was making Denny work and think, but the man from the Midlands was a step ahead and too sharp.

Just when Ahorgah was going through his repertoire of gamesmanship, he hit the deck for a count after a short right hook – he protested it was from a slip – and he was not hurt. Instead, Ahorgah swung and missed wildly and this time it was Denny’s opportunity to dance for the crowd as they jeered Ahorgah swinging and missing. 

It was fast-paced and interesting without being thrilling. Denny was defensively astute on the front and back foot, and Ahorgah was frustrated but remained impressively game, even when he was forced to chew on two crisp left hands back-to-back near the end of the ninth round.

With a minute left in the fight, Ahorgah jumped up and down and tried to engage, but Denny had no intention of accepting the invitation and goaded Ahorgah as he retreated.

Denny is 33 and before the Sheeraz loss he had defeated Bradley Rea, Brad Pauls, Macauley McGowan, and Felix Cash. Two of Denny’s draws came in four rounders inside his first five fights. Where the former European champion goes next remains unclear, but this 10-rounder would have helped him get his groove back after what happened against Sheeraz.