Frazer Clarke suffered his second defeat in a row, and the third of his professional career, on the undercard of the Tyson Fury vs Arslanbek Makhmudov fight at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night, live on Netflix.
Clarke lost by majority decision to Australia’s Justis Huni, who was coming off a devastating KO defeat to WBO champion Fabio Wardley.
The judges scored the fight 96–94 twice and 95–95 in favour of Huni. I had him winning 97–93. Clarke’s previous outing was a worrying defeat to Tottenham’s Jamie Tshikeva in November last year.
In a grueling affair, Clarke looked out on his feet at the end of round 11, yet was still sent out to finish the fight by his then-trainer Angel Fernandez, ultimately losing by split decision. Having been brutally KO’d in one round a year earlier by Fabio Wardley in their rematch, the future looked bleak…
It was difficult to see where Clarke could go from there.
As such, he decided to leave Angel Fernandez and team up with Joe Gallagher at the Champs Camp gym in Moss Side, Manchester. This was Clarke’s first fight since the new link-up.
Clarke had previously been guilty of looking tired early in fights, but he kept a decent pace throughout his tussle with Huni. He looked in good shape and seemed fitter overall.
How Huni vs. Clarke played out
Clarke (9-3-1, 7 KOs) started round one well, keeping Huni at bay with a sharp jab, but Huni soon took control, digging in crisp counters to Clarke’s body.
It quickly became clear that body work was a major part of Huni’s game plan, as he continued to chip away downstairs in round two.
Huni was caught on the exit just before the end of round three, but he still dominated the majority of the session.
Round four was Clarke’s best of the fight, landing clean shots on Huni, including a big uppercut and a left hook that had a visible effect.
Clarke finished the round pinning Huni on the ropes, raining in punches while Huni did his best to ride the shots.
Unfortunately for Clarke, he was unable to use that momentum to disrupt Huni’s rhythm.
Huni (13-1, 7 KOs) is a sharp boxer, classical in his movement, working head and body with tidy footwork.
In his only defeat to Fabio Wardley, Huni was winning pretty much every round before being caught flush in round ten, which ended the fight.
There was no repeat this time, as Huni’s boxing skills carried him all the way to the final bell.
A big eighth round for Huni saw him put Clarke under real pressure, but Clarke stood firm. In the corner, Joe Gallagher told him in no uncertain terms that he needed the last two rounds.
Clarke tried hard, but Huni would not be denied as he closed out a majority decision win.
This was Huni’s first fight since the death of his trainer, Keri Fui, who passed away in late 2025 after suffering a heart attack in the gym at the age of 48.
In a pre-fight interview with Boxing News, Huni opened up about the loss:
“It was difficult at the time. It was a big thing for myself and my S&C trainer, to lose someone so close to us.
“It set me back a fair bit. I did not train for a while, but I needed to come back. The only thing that was going to make me happy, and pull me out of that negative space, was getting back into training.
“I just had to take a bit of time for myself, but now it is time for the comeback. [Fui] was like a best friend to me, not just a coach. So, when he passed away, I told myself that everything I do from here will be for myself and for him.”
Huni is back on track, and Matchroom will guide him into the ever-expanding queue of title contenders.
As for Clarke, it is definitely not the end, depending on what his goals are.
Do I see him becoming a world champion? Not likely.
But I can envisage him in competitive fights with the likes of Jamie Tshikeva, David Adeleye, Solomon Dacres, and Matty Harris, for example.
Although he didn’t win last night, I think he will be quietly satisfied that he came through unscathed and without any drama.
The improvement was there for all to see.
At 34 years old, spending more time with Joe Gallagher at Champs Camp can only enhance his chances of still making some kind of mark in the sport.
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