Frazer Clarke is set to undergo surgery to repair the damage caused by his sickening first-round KO defeat to Fabio Wardley on Saturday night. Wardley defended his British and Commonwealth heavyweight championships after catching the 33-year-old with a brutal right hook in the early stages.

The duo contested a rematch during the Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol undercard at the Kingdom Arena as part of Riyadh Season.

While their first meeting in March lasted an exhausting 12 rounds and ended in a draw, Wardley needed just two minutes and 28 seconds to stand victorious in the Middle East.

A vicious right over the top left his opponent shaken on the ropes, prompting the referee to wave the bout off, after which Clarke was taken to hospital.

The previously undefeated fighter – now with a record of 8-1-1 – will have an operation to heal his jaw and cheekbone after suffering a fracture.

However, Clarke isn’t expected to require any plates and will likely be discharged on the same day. His recovery timeline is currently set between six and eight weeks.

After his stunning triumph, Wardley stressed his desire to make a “statement” but sent his well wishes and respect to Clarke.

“I always take a prayer before my fight, always ask for me and my opponent to leave and be healthy,” Wardley explained.

“I want whoever I’m in with to go back to their family, and I hope he’s well; I hope I can speak to him afterwards because those first 12 rounds we shared were special.

“I had to make a statement tonight. I appreciate the war last time and what a great spectacle that was.”

He also looked ahead to his future, backing himself to progress onto world-level boxing, believing he has proven his worth.

“I said I always know that once I hurt somebody, I can get rid of them,” Wardley continued.

“I made errors in the first fight; I went into the first fight with my team, saying maybe it wasn’t the right time, went in with a couple of issues, got them fixed up, got the game plan right and executed on the night.

“Sometimes war is needed, sometimes a little bit of brain is needed. I took enough assessment from the first fight to know I just had to be a little bit sweeter and disguise them a little bit better.

“War by name, war by nature. Once I have enemies hurt, there’s no help for them… Nothing will save them.

He added: “I’m ready to mix it with those boys. I’ve got the power to mix it with them all, I can take a shot, and I can have a war. You’ve seen me do everything. I’m ready for that world stage now.”