As soon as the first bell rang on Saturday night in Manchester, there was essentially a ticking clock counting down to Jake Darnell’s inevitable defeat by Frazer Clarke, but the Tokyo Olympian is acutely aware that he too may not have much time left in the ring.
Having captained Team GB at last summer’s Games, where he claimed bronze, Clarke has now turned his attention to professional boxing and a heavyweight rise that he knows must be rapid.
Beginning his pro career at the age of 30, Clarke is in a race against time to achieve his goals of becoming a world champion and competing in seismic clashes with his heroes – the likes of Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, the latter of whom the Stafford fighter has sparred with numerous times.
There were issues sourcing an appropriate – or even willing, perhaps – opponent for Clarke’s first pro fight, but ultimately it was Darnell who stepped in on short notice to make his own pro debut against the Olympian on Saturday (having failed to secure a ticket to the event as a fan).
The Blackpool man blew Clarke a kiss at Friday’s weigh-ins but will not have enjoyed the intimate exchanges with his opponent at the AO Arena, where he was a de facto villain for daring to take on a member of Team GB.
Clarke landed punches at will, hurling heavy hooks into Darnell’s rippling midriff and driving jabs through a feeble guard, until Darnell’s corner threw in the towel as the third minute of the first round arrived.
Darnell had been brave but little else, while Clarke did almost all he could have been expected to do. The 30-year-old was composed, assertive and clinical, and might even have scored a spectacular knockout if his opponent’s corner had not intervened.
As the clock continues to tick, Clarke is wisely already planning his next move.
“I understand there is a long way to go,” he said at ringside after his victory.
“I’m not where I want to be physically yet, but I will get there. The better the opponent, the better I will box. This is just the start. I’ve got loads to learn.”
At the post-fight press conference, Clarke said he would fight “next weekend” if he could, but is eyeing a March date for his next bout, before potentially stepping between the ropes again in May.
That is the level of activity that he will require if he is to transform his lofty ambitions into achievements, and as such Clarke should look to follow the blueprint laid out by compatriot and fellow heavyweight Joe Joyce.
Joyce took silver at the 2016 Olympics in Rio before making his pro debut in October 2017. He was 32 at the time and within 12 months he had fought and won six times – stopping every opponent, with Ian Lewison bringing a 12-3-1 record into Joyce’s debut.
Joyce continued that activity and form to move to 8-0 with a TKO of former WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne in February 2019, three months after the veteran’s 40th birthday.
It has only been in the last couple of years that Joyce’s outings have become less frequent – in part due to the pandemic – but he has nevertheless improved his pro record to 13-0 (12 KOs), with statement stoppages of Daniel Dubois and Carlos Takam in his last two fights.
Joyce, now 36, holds a number of heavyweight belts and is eyeing his first major title, with Joshua and Usyk in his sights.
Joshua, 32 and already a former two-time world champion, also followed an Olympic medal win with a relatively swift pro debut and lots of early activity, but he was just 23 when he made the switch after claiming gold for Team GB at London 2012.
Ben Shalom and his team at Boxxer, who are promoting Clarke, do not have so many years to work with.
They must increase the level of their fighter’s opposition each time out and cannot afford to be too gradual with the process.
The clock is ticking on Clarke already, and those around him know it. So does he.
