BBC's Boxing Comeback in Turmoil as Jeamie TKV Withdraws from Frazer Clarke Title Bout

Table of Contents

• Chaos in BBC's Boxing Return
• Fight Details and Rescheduling
• BBC's Boxing History

THE BBC’S return to live boxing has been disrupted as Jeamie Tshikeva has WITHDRAWN from his fight against Frazer Clarke.

Tshikeva – referred to as TKV – was scheduled to face Clarke for the vacant British heavyweight title on October 25 in Derby.

Frazer Clarke facing off with Jeamie TKVCredit: Shutterstock Editorial

However, SunSport has learned that the 31-year-old from North London has pulled out of the fight due to a muscle strain sustained during training.

The BBC and promoter Boxxer are now preparing to reschedule the event for November 29.

This means there will be no heavyweight clash, as Fabio Wardley will now face Joseph Parker on DAZN PPV next Saturday without any TV competition.

Nevertheless, the BBC’s proposed new date will coincide with the return of Ben Whittaker, who will make his Matchroom debut on November 29.

TKV is coming off a controversial knockout loss to David Adeleye in April, while Clarke secured a victory against Ebenezer Tetteh in his comeback fight that same month.

Both fighters were set to headline on BBC 2, with the undercard being streamed online.

Boxxer, established by Ben Shalom, had a four-year agreement with Sky worth £36 million after Matchroom Boxing became exclusive to streamers DAZN.

However, Sky opted not to renew its deal with Boxxer, which subsequently landed a historic agreement with the BBC in August.

The BBC made history in 1938 by broadcasting the UK’s first boxing match, where Eric Boon defeated Arthur Danahar.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the BBC aired boxing on special occasions, including Lennox Lewis’ knockout of Hasim Rahman in 2001.

Audley Harrison also fought on the BBC, but the last match aired on the network was in 2005.

In 2022, two Welsh title fights were broadcast, but only on BBC Wales and iPlayer.

This means Clarke’s British title fight was set to be the first on primetime BBC in over 20 years.