🔗 Share this article

TKV defeated Frazer Clarke by divided verdict to win the UK heavyweight championship on a important evening for the sport, as live professional boxing returned to BBC linear television for the initial occasion in twenty years

It was far from a technical exhibition at the Derby venue, with constant holding and clinching, but the fight sparked into life when TKV stunned Frazer Clarke with a heavy hook in the eleventh stanza

A stunned Frazer Clarke somehow stayed on his feet and weaved back to his coaches

With his trainer poised to stop the fight if he didn't respond, Frazer Clarke declared he could continue and valiantly fought through the concluding stanza

The judges saw it one fifteen to one thirteen and 115-112 for TKV, while the final judge scored one fifteen to one twelve for Olympic bronze medallist Frazer Clarke

"It's unbelievable I whooped my opponent in his territory," London native Jeamie Tshikeva, who was deducted a point for a low blow, said

"I was aware he was going to cling, but he started breathing heavily within the opening half-minute We're not in the Olympic Games anymore"

TKV Dominates Late to Stun Frazer Clarke

Approximately thirty-five hundred enthusiastic crowd crowded the intimate arena, jeering TKV on his entrance

Frazer Clarke, from nearby Burton-upon-Trent, got a rousing reception in return

Much to the audience's enjoyment, he took control in the first round, firing a jab to the midsection before throwing stinging uppercuts that clearly troubled Jeamie Tshikeva

But the fighter from Tottenham - whose family boasts a compelling story, with both his dad and grandfather working in the military forces of Zaire - showed his determination and settled into the fight

The fight had initially been planned for the autumn before a rib problem compelled Jeamie Tshikeva to pull out

The rescheduling stirred up bad blood, souring a once-respectful rivalry

The challenger's coaches repeatedly protested illegal shots from Jeamie Tshikeva, some connecting on the blindside of the official, who gave a caution in the third stanza

Shortly after, another borderline shot earned TKV the penalty point

Jabs were scarce; instead, the contest became holding from Frazer Clarke and heavy leaning from TKV, with lunging, predictable shots breaking up the action

Jeamie Tshikeva was effective with his hook, and Frazer Clarke with his rising punch, but both men absorbed the blows as if they were hitting a wall

Right when the bout seemed to be slowing down, TKV - his eye heavily swollen - threw a left hook that made Frazer Clarke stumbling in the 11th stanza

Clarke stayed upright only by leaning into TKV, appearing confused as the referee moved in for a better view

His coach, Angel Fernandez, looked ready to pulling him out, but Frazer Clarke insisted he carry on

He left the ring without conducting a post-fight interview, still seeming stunned

Francesca Hennessy Shines in Dominant Victory

In the supporting fight, British bantamweight Francesca Hennessy increased her undefeated streak to seven wins, no losses with a commanding points win over ex lower weight class title holder Fabiana Bytyqi

After an eye-catching ringwalk complete with a dance routine together with a performance team, Francesca Hennessy, twenty-one, displayed sharp movement, clean choice of punches and fluid combinations

She achieved huge success by targeting the torso of the twenty-nine-year-old Czech fighter - who once held a world title at a lower weight class - as the scoring officials scored every round to Hennessey

"Billion Dollar Baby on the free-to-air, let's do this, baby," the Kent fighter stated, before calling out ex bantamweight world champion Shannon Courtenay

Clarke, TKV and Hennessy each contributed in what could be an significant evening for UK boxing

There may not have been a world-title fight or a famous fighter on the card, but free-to-air exposure can attract wider viewership, draw young people into training facilities and develop the sport in ways boxing on pay-per-view may find difficult to accomplish

Time will tell what the actual significance will be, but if even several additional kids join their local boxing club on the following day, the night will have made its mark