Frazer Clarke versus Mourad Aliev found a sour ending when Aliev was disqualified for excessive use of his head, despite winning the first round of their Olympic super heavyweight clash. The result saw Aliev protest the decision, even refusing to leave the venue.
Boxing fans watch the Olympic Boxing in the same way a football fan would watch the U20 World Cup, to scour the playground of future world title contenders before they make it big. Names like Anthony Joshua, Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko, Katie Taylor, and Claressa Shields rank among those who have tasted Olympic gold before going on to conquer the world of professional boxing.
Therefore, it makes sense that as we watch the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, we are more than likely watching a future world champion staking their claim to the world. Although not all go on from the Olympics to find world titles, such as Alexander Povetkin, most high-level Olympians find themselves in the upper echelon with big-name fights. Much more akin to professional wrestling, history in the amateurs makes for great watching, as we have seen with Anthony Joshua versus Dillian Whyte.
When two fighters have an intertwined history prior to their rise, their paths have to cross again once they have risen. The same now goes for Mourad Aliev versus Frazer Clarke, seeing the fight ended in a controversial fashion. Aliev has a genuine claim that he would have beaten Clarke had he headed the referee’s warning to cease the use of his head whilst in a clinch. That belief, as well as the fact that Frazer Clarke finds himself in the Semi-Finals and within touching distance of one of the three medals on offer, means we find ourselves watching the seeds of a legendary feud being planted.
Anyway, say Clarke wins gold, his transition to professional boxing will find itself under a white-hot spotlight, and Aliev will be waiting in the wings to reclaim what, in his opinion, he should have never lost. We have seen that boxing fans thrive off of history, as seen with AJ-Whyte, where Whyte had won in the amateurs before losing by an immense knockout in their pro grudge match, and now fans are clamoring for a world title trilogy. We have seen a recent feud brew from Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder throughout their blockbuster fights, and perhaps this one could be next in line.
Should both fighters transition to pro boxing successfully, we could see a grudge rematch between the two, where maybe Aliev could redeem himself or Clarke could cement himself as the better fighter.
