Cheavon Clarke once again went deep to lodge his most notable win to date.
The 2020 Olympian for Great Britain pounded out a ten-round, unanimous decision victory over Czech Republic’s Vasil Ducar. Scores were 99-91, 99-91 and 98-92 for Clarke in their DAZN-aired cruiserweight contest Saturday evening from OVO Arena Wembley in London.
Clarke had never gone the distance at this venue, with two stoppage victories in his previous three bouts heading into the night. Ducar was only stopped once and even scored a dramatic last-round knockdown in a ten-round decision defeat last September to Jordan Thompson (15-0, 12KOs) who challenges lineal and IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia (22-0, 17KOs) in the main event.
The challenge for Clarke was to break down and stop the durable but limited Ducar. The 32-year-old Jamaican cruiserweight—who lives in Gravesend, Kent—was composed throughout the contest, as he committed to his punches but didn’t unnecessarily expend any energy. Ducar was there to be hit but Clarke committed to breaking down his opponent in a lieu of a one-punch knockout.
Clarke landed with his right hand in the early rounds but was just short with a follow up left hook on two separate occasions. Ducar took the shot well but was unable to land anything of consequence to slow down the steady attack of the unbeaten cruiserweight prospect.
A brief momentum shift came in round six when Ducar landed a right uppercut at close range. Clarke briefly appeared to be hurt but came back with a left hook and uppercut of his own later in the round.
Clarke lost his footing in round seven but quickly steadied himself to land a long right hand. Ducar shook off the blow and stood his ground as he fired off power shots upstairs. Clarke slipped a right hand and countered with a chopping right to Ducar’s chin.
Ducar continued to come forward in a competitive round eight. Clarke fended off the determined Czech and took the lead in round nine with a body shot. Ducar briefly backed up, though attributed it more so to an apparent clash of heads.
Clarke never stopped fighting for the knockout as action headed into the tenth and final round. The willingness was still there for Ducar (14-7-2, 10KOs) but his offense slowed and punches were telegraphed. Clarke landed right hands, uppercuts and left hooks at close quarters, including a final flurry just before the final bell.
It wasn’t enough to avoid the ten-round distance for the second time in three fights but went a long way to secure the most significant win of his young career. Clarke advanced to 7-0 (5KOs) with the win.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
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