Olympians Frazer Clarke and Caroline Dubois extended their unbeaten professional records with dominant points wins at London’s York Hall.
Clarke, 31, won all 10 rounds against Poland’s Mariusz Wach in an underwhelming heavyweight contest.
Lightweight Dubois, 22, dropped Yanina del Carmen in the fifth but was taken the eight-round distance by the highly ranked Argentine.
Both Clarke and Dubois have now won all seven of their pro fights.
“The stoppage didn’t come but that’s what I was looking for – a beatdown and a solid victory, and I think I got that,” Dubois told Sky Sports.
Clarke added: “I think I started off well but I definitely faded. I’m not one for excuses but it was extremely hot in here and I felt sapped.
“There’s a lot of things I did right and a lot of things I did wrong. When Mariusz Wach ties you up he’s a difficult man to shift.”
Clarke dominant but not spectacular
Clarke – who won bronze at Tokyo 2020 – was upgraded to the headline slot after an injury to lightweight Adam Azim last Friday.
The Burton-upon-Trent fighter began well, doubling up on his jabs and outworking Wach in the opening rounds. His thudding body shots began to reverberate around the intimate and iconic York Hall, a venue synonymous with boxing but with a capacity of just 1,250.
Wach had lost four of his last six bouts and was feeling the pace by the halfway stage. For the majority of the middle rounds both men were guilty of clinching and holding.
Clarke was able to manoeuvre out of the clinches and landed stinging hooks to the body in the sixth. He was in control but ‘The Viking’ Wach – standing at 6ft 7in and weighing 20st 11lb – at no point seemed troubled.
Any sustained attack was quickly smothered by Wach, who fought in small bursts, landing the occasional combination.
Clarke had never been past seven rounds as a professional and the pace slowed down further as the fight drew to a close. Fans began to make their exit before the referee’s 100-90 scorecard was read.
It was Clarke’s first outing since controversially being withdrawn from purse bids for a British title shot against Fabio Wardley last month.
“It had been a media storm over the last few weeks,” Clarke said. “It wasn’t helpful but I’m going to pat myself on the back for getting in there tonight and dealing with it.”
Clarke’s promoter, Ben Shalom, said he has made an offer to Wardley, who is represented by Matchroom.
“Come fight me, let’s do it,” Clarke added.
Composed Dubois goes the distance
Dubois may not have got the knockout, but it was a solid performance against an opponent ranked sixth with the WBA.
A former Youth Olympic champion, Dubois – who reached the quarter-finals at Tokyo 2020 – missed with a few wild swings in the opening rounds but did land a flush left at the end of the first.
Fighting at York Hall for the first time, she soon settled into her rhythm and found success targeting Lescano’s body.
The southpaw – who said she has struggled to find female sparring partners able to withstand her power, instead sparring male boxers – picked up the intensity in the fifth.
A big right hook did the damage and, with Lescano stunned, a left sent the away fighter to the canvas.
Rather than loading up and recklessly searching for a knockout, Dubois set traps by alternating punches from body to head.
A game Lescano, while posing no real danger, saw out the distance with the referee scoring 80-71 to Dubois.
The Londoner will now look for another step up in opposition, with Shalom suggesting a world-title shot or a bout against former super-featherweight champion Mikaela Mayer could take place early next year.
