Dillian Whyte hilariously pats down Fabio Wardley before his instant classic British heavyweight title clash against Frazer Clarke

Dillian Whyte knocked out protege Fabio Wardley ahead of his heavyweight title clash with Frazer Clarke.

In a clip that has since gone viral on social media, Whyte can be seen frisking his fellow heavyweight in the ring as the announcer wraps up the pre-fight introductions.

Queensberry’s Dev Sahni shared the clip on

Against former Olympian Clarke, Wardley faced perhaps the toughest test yet of his burgeoning professional career.

A former white-collar boxer, Wardley made his debut in 2017 with no real amateur experience but has since captured heavyweight titles at English, British, European and Commonwealth level.

The undefeated pair were due to compete for twelve rounds at the O2 Arena on Sunday

Wardley retained his British and Commonwealth titles when the fight was ruled a split draw

The 29-year-old but his British and Commonwealth titles were on the line on Sunday night in a clash that promised to see the winner rise to the elite level of the highly lucrative heavyweight ranks.

While neither man would ultimately emerge victorious from the O2 Arena, both would see their shares rise significantly after a crowd-pleasing clash.

Both fighters had their moments. Clarke managed to find a home for his jab early on, taking an early lead on the scorecards, while Wardley demonstrated his immense power by putting his opponent on the canvas in round five.

After 36 hard-fought minutes, the three ringside judges could not agree on a winner with scores of 14-113 (Wardley), 115-112 (Clarke) and 113-113, leading to a shared draw.

With both fighters’ undefeated records intact and an instant classic under their belts, a rematch seems all but certain sometime later this year.