In the eighth, attention turned to the body. Clarke sank a left hook into the Tshikeva midsection and Tshikeva then returned the favour, sending his left hand towards Clarke’s chin immediately afterwards. That, in truth, captured the difference between the pair: whereas Clarke was having the odd bit of success, Tshikeva was the one doubling up and following any first wave of attack with a second. In the final analysis, that difference would prove crucial. It also ensured that Tshikeva did more longer-term damage to Clarke than Clarke did to him, as demonstrated in round 11 when Clarke needed all his powers of recovery to make it through the round. Shaken by a left hook, all of a sudden Clarke’s legs had betrayed him and his body went soft, limp. It seemed nigh on impossible for him to stand, let alone move, or punch. Yet somehow, Clarke heard the bell to end the round and, with some help, was guided back to his corner. There, in the corner, he was met by his trainer, Angel Fernandez, who read him the riot act and asked to see signs of life. “Are you with me?” yelled Fernandez. “I’m going to throw the towel in!”
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