Frazer Clarke swiftly found himself on the receiving end of a hellacious and torrid beatdown when he stepped into the ring with Fabio Wardley on Saturday.
The pair collided on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs Dmitry Bivol in an eagerly anticipated rematch of their first encounter, which ended in a contentious draw.
But while most had expected a repeat of their enthralling clash back in March, with the pair going hell for leather over 12 rounds, their bout in Saudi Arabia instead became a one-round demolition job.
And so, with Wardley emerging victorious following a ruthless display, Clarke was left needing medical attention before being rushed off to hospital for surgery.
Frazer Clarke underwent successful surgery following Fabio Wardley loss
Boxxer boss Ben Shalom, Clarke’s promoter, has confirmed that the Brit’s surgery on his jaw and cheekbone was successful, allowing him to leave the hospital in Saudi Arabia.
But still, the 33-year-old suffered a substantial degree of damage to his face on the night, with his jaw swung out to the side and his left cheekbone seemingly concaved.
With that in mind, British Boxing Board of Control medical advisor Dr Neil Scott has explained how the injury was ultimately caused.
“It’s not common. We don’t see it that often at all,” Scott told Sky Sports. “Visually it looks alarming because you see someone essentially with a big dent on the side of their face.
“The reason for that is the cheekbone comes forward as a thin piece of bone before it starts to fan out and form the prominence of your cheek. When you get a degree of force, the bone can essentially go in and that results in the visible divot.
“It must be extremely painful and it must be quite distressing as well. It must be a tremendous amount of power to do that.”
Who does Fabio Wardley fight next?
With Clarke on the road to recovery, Wardley can now celebrate his emphatic stoppage knowing that his heavyweight rival will soon be back to full health.
So now, it is worth considering what the British and Commonwealth champion’s next assignment will be.
With Frank Warren navigating his career, Wardley will have plenty of heavyweights to call out, with Daniel Dubois, Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang all parading the Queensberry Promotions stable.
But, perhaps before he reaches their level, it is worth setting his sights on the domestic scene, with seasoned veterans Derek Chisora and Joe Joyce still campaigning in the land of the giants.