Frazer Clarke to headline first BBC-BOXXER show as British heavyweight title fight tops Derby card

Live professional boxing will return to BBC primetime on Saturday, October 25, when Frazer Clarke faces Jeamie TKV for the British heavyweight title at the Vaillant Live Arena in Derby. The bout headlines BOXXER's first show since securing a multi-year broadcast deal with the BBC, with the main card airing on BBC Two from 8-10 p.m. and undercard action streamed on BBC iPlayer. The event takes place on the same night as Joseph Parker's heavyweight clash with Fabio Wardley, but promoters have confirmed the two shows will not overlap, allowing fans to watch both fights.

Clarke, a Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medalist, will bid to win the British title at the third attempt after drawing with Wardley in March 2024 and then losing the rematch by knockout. He has since returned to action with a first‑round stoppage of Ebenezer Tetteh in April and is said to be more polished and hungry to claim domestic supremacy. Clarke remarked that headlining on the BBC offers a rare spotlight, saying the occasion would bring boxing to a wider audience and that he plans to “put on a show” under the primetime lights. Jeamie TKV, who has long pressed his case for a title opportunity, said he views the platform as the right moment to solidify his standing and insisted the fight would be decisive and aggressive from the opening bell.

The British heavyweight title, one of boxing’s most storied domestic honors, will be contested for the vacant Lonsdale Belt after David Adeleye vacated the prize to take a fight against Filip Hrgovic in August. The belt’s vacancy has added extra meaning to the Derby card, with Clarke and TKV both acknowledging the prestige of the title and the pressure to seize a historic moment on free-to-air television. The Lonsdale Belt’s lineage includes legends such as Henry Cooper, Lennox Lewis, Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, and the winner will join that list as the division’s current crop vies for national supremacy.

The show marks the start of a new era for BOXXER and the BBC, following the promoter’s exclusive multi-year broadcast deal with the corporation announced in September after parting ways with Sky Sports. Selected undercard bouts and behind‑the‑scenes content will be available across BBC digital platforms, including iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app, and BBC Sport social channels. Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, said the event would bring boxing back to primetime and broaden exposure to casual fans, while BOXXER founder Ben Shalom described the match as “impossible to call” and suggested the partnership could introduce a generation to free-to-air boxing that did not previously have that access.

The Parker-Wardley fight also looms on the same night, but promoters have stressed that the broadcasts will be staggered so fans can watch both cards. Parker and Wardley have been highlighted as the latest instalment in the evolving British heavyweight scene, with Wardley defeating Clarke in their 2024 bout before Clarke sought redemption the following year. Both Clarke and TKV have warned that they intend to leave nothing to chance, with Clarke positioning himself as a complete fighter ready to deliver knockouts, and TKV promising a fast, aggressive start that could decide the title early. Burton-on-Trent’s Clarke and Tottenham’s TKV have long been part of a tense domestic rivalry, and this time they meet with the belt and legacy on the line.

As the networks prepare for a primetime boxing return, the Derby event is expected to draw a wide audience and set the tone for a renewed wave of domestic boxing under the BBC banner. The night’s outcome will not only determine the next chapter of the British heavyweight scene but also potentially influence how future events are scheduled around major international clashes, as fans balance multiple high-profile cards on a single evening.