Big-hitting Jeamie 'TKV' Tshikeva Shocks Clarke to Claim UK Title

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Unexpected challenger Jeamie 'TKV' Tshikeva damaged Clarke in the eleventh stanza before claiming the UK heavyweight championship on scorecards

Jeamie 'TKV' Tshikeva overcame Clarke by divided verdict to secure the British heavyweight title on a important night for the boxing, as professional boxing action came back to BBC linear television for the first time in two decades

This wasn't a technical exhibition at the Derby venue, with constant clinch work and holding, but the fight sparked into life when Jeamie Tshikeva rocked Frazer Clarke with a powerful left hand in the eleventh round

A shocked Clarke miraculously remained standing and staggered back to his coaches

With his trainer poised to pull him out unless he showed improvement, Frazer Clarke insisted he could fight on and courageously fought through the concluding stanza

The scoring judges had it 115-113 and 115-112 for Jeamie Tshikeva, while the remaining official saw it 115-112 for Olympic medal winner Clarke

"It feels amazing I beat that boy in his territory," London native TKV, who was lost a point for a body shot below the belt, stated

"I was aware he was going to grab, but he started breathing heavily within the opening half-minute We are not at the Olympics anymore"

TKV Comes On Strong to Stun Frazer Clarke

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Frazer Clarke had initial success in the beginning but Jeamie Tshikeva - who was frequently admonished for low blows - finished strong in the later rounds

Around 3,500 loud supporters crowded the intimate arena, booing Jeamie Tshikeva on his entrance

'Big Fraze', from nearby Burton-upon-Trent, earned a rousing reception in reply

Much to the audience's enjoyment, he established dominance in the opening round, snapping a straight punch to the torso before landing painful upward punches that definitely hurt TKV

But the Tottenham man - whose background includes a interesting past, with both his dad and grandad serving in the armed forces - showed his fighting spirit and adapted to the bout

The fight had originally been scheduled for the autumn before a rib problem compelled TKV to pull out

The postponement stirred up bad blood, damaging a previously respectful competition

The challenger's coaches constantly complained about body punches from TKV, some drifting in on the opposite side of the ring judge, who issued a admonishment in the third round

Shortly after, another borderline shot earned Jeamie Tshikeva the point deduction

Jabbing were scarce; instead, the fight became holding from Clarke and constant leaning from Jeamie Tshikeva, with lunging, predictable shots breaking up the fight

Jeamie Tshikeva was effective with his left hook, and Frazer Clarke with his rising punch, but each fighter soaked up the blows as if they were hitting stone

Right when the bout seemed to be fading, TKV - his right eye heavily swollen - detonated a left hand that made Clarke reeling in the eleventh stanza

Frazer Clarke remained standing only by clinging to Jeamie Tshikeva, appearing confused as the referee approached for a inspection

His trainer, his coach, looked determined to pulling him out, but Frazer Clarke demanded to fight on

He departed the arena without doing a post-match comments, still appearing dazed

'Billion Dollar Baby' Shines in Dominant Performance

In the supporting fight, English bantamweight Francesca Hennessy extended her undefeated streak to seven wins, no losses with a dominant points win over former lower weight class world champion her opponent

After an eye-catching entrance including a choreographed routine alongside a dance troupe, Francesca Hennessy, twenty-one, demonstrated quick movement, accurate choice of punches and seamless punch combinations

She had great success by focusing on the body of the 29-year-old Czech fighter - who formerly owned a world championship at a lower weight class - as all three judges awarded every round to Francesca Hennessy

"BDB on the BBC, let's go, everyone," the southern boxer said, before challenging ex bantamweight world champion her potential next opponent

Clarke, TKV and Hennessy all played their part in what could be an significant night for boxing in Britain

While there wasn't a world championship bout or a well-known star on the bill, but free-to-air exposure can connect with different audiences, bring in youth into training facilities and develop the boxing in approaches subscription boxing may struggle to manage

The future will show what the real effect is, but if just a handful more kids walk into their local boxing club on the following day, the event will have made its mark

Lisa Jones
Lisa Jones

A seasoned sports analyst with over a decade of experience in betting markets, specializing in statistical modeling and risk management.