Unexpected challenger TKV hurt Clarke in the 11th round before winning the UK heavyweight championship on judges' decision
TKV defeated Frazer Clarke by split-decision to secure the British heavyweight title on a significant night for the boxing, as professional boxing action came back to free-to-air television for the initial occasion in twenty years
It was far from a technical showcase at the Derby venue, with constant holding and tying up, but the fight sparked into life when Jeamie Tshikeva stunned Clarke with a heavy left hook in the eleventh round
A stunned Clarke miraculously stayed on his feet and weaved back to his coaches
With his trainer poised to pull him out unless he showed improvement, Frazer Clarke stated he could continue and valiantly fought through the concluding stanza
The judges had it 115-113 and one fifteen to one twelve for Jeamie Tshikeva, while the remaining official saw it one fifteen to one twelve for Olympic bronze medallist Clarke
"This is incredible I beat my opponent in his back yard," Londoner Jeamie Tshikeva, who was had a point taken for a low blow, said
"I knew he was going to hold on, but he started blowing within the first 30 seconds We are not at the Olympic Games anymore"
TKV Finishes Strong to Stun Clarke
Frazer Clarke had initial success early on but TKV - who was constantly cautioned for body blows - finished strong in the later rounds
Approximately thirty-five hundred loud supporters packed the compact venue, jeering TKV on his ring walk
Frazer Clarke, from local Burton, earned a rousing reception in return
To the audience's enjoyment, he took control in the initial stanza, throwing a jab to the body before ripping in stinging upward punches that definitely hurt TKV
But the Tottenham man - whose background includes a fascinating history, with both his father and grandad serving in the armed forces - displayed his competitive heart and adapted to the bout
The bout had originally been scheduled for the autumn before a injured rib compelled Jeamie Tshikeva to pull out
The rescheduling stirred up bad blood, spoiling a formerly civil contest
The challenger's coaches constantly complained about low blows from TKV, some landing on the blindside of the official, who gave a warning in the third stanza
Moments later, another debatable blow earned TKV the lost point
Jabbing were infrequent; instead, the contest became clinches from Frazer Clarke and constant leaning from Jeamie Tshikeva, with lunging, predictable punches breaking up the fight
TKV had success with his hook, and Frazer Clarke with his rising punch, but each fighter soaked up the shots as if they were hitting concrete
Right when the bout seemed to be petering out, TKV - his eye badly swollen - landed a left hand that left Clarke reeling in the 11th round
Frazer Clarke remained standing only by clinging to TKV, seeming disoriented as the referee moved in for a closer look
His trainer, Angel Fernandez, looked ready to throwing in the towel, but Clarke insisted he continuing
He exited the ring without doing a after-fight media, still looking shell-shocked
Francesca Hennessy Shines in Impressive Victory
In the supporting fight, English fighter Francesca 'Billion Dollar Baby' Hennessy increased her undefeated streak to 7-0 with a dominant unanimous decision over ex atomweight title holder Fabiana Bytyqi
After an impressive ringwalk featuring a dance routine together with a group of dancers, Hennessy, 21, showed sharp movement, clean choice of punches and fluid combination punching
She achieved great success by focusing on the body of the 29-year-old Czech fighter - who formerly owned a championship belt at a lower weight class - as the scoring officials awarded every round to Hennessey
"BDB on the free-to-air, let's go, baby," the fighter from Kent declared, before challenging ex world title holder Shannon Courtenay
Clarke, TKV and Hennessy each contributed in what could be an crucial night for UK boxing
While there wasn't a world-title fight or a household name on the schedule, but television coverage can connect with wider viewership, bring in youth into boxing gyms and grow the boxing in approaches boxing on pay-per-view may find difficult to accomplish
The future will show what the true impact is, but if just a handful more children join their community boxing center on Monday, the event will have had an impact
