Frazer Clarke to dedicate win to his friend who was stabbed to death in Bournemouth in 2008

The last time Frazer Clarke was in Bournemouth, his friend was brutally stabbed to death.

So it will be an emotional moment for him when he makes his way to the ring at the Bournemouth International Centre to fight Ariel Esteban Bracamonte on Saturday night in Bournemouth.

The pair will clash on the undercard of Chris Billam-Smith’s cruiserweight showdown with Isaac Chamberlain on July 30.

Clarke, 30, will be competing for just the second time as a professional having won a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo last year.

And he is looking to dedicate his next fight to his friend who tragically lost his life in the attack.

Speaking exclusively to GiveMeSport.com, when asked if he had ever been to Bournemouth before, Clarke replied: “I came here years ago actually. My friend got murdered here in 2008.

“The last time I came here I came here to pay my respects to him so it’s a place that’s very dear to my heart.

“It’s tough to talk about it to be honest but he was a good mate of mine and I want to honour him with a good performance on Saturday night.

“He loved his boxing so I know he’ll be here watching me in spirit and this one is for him.”

Nicknamed ‘The Eraser’, Clarke has made a full recovery from surgery after suffering a hand injury on his debut in February.

Reflecting on his injury which has kept him out of action for the past few months, Clarke said: “Yeah it was a bit annoying but these things can’t be helped.

“It’s heavyweight boxing, anything can happen.

“Thankfully it’s all healed up now so I don’t need to worry about it anymore.

“I was still able to lift weights so it wasn’t too bad really.

“But now that I’m back it’s all about rebuilding momentum and getting back into the swing of things.”

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