What's absurd about clubs having boxer, perhaps, as guard? (8)
I believe the answer is:
watchdog
'guard?' is the definition.
'what's absurd about clubs having boxer perhaps' is the wordplay.
'absurd' indicates anagramming the letters.
'about' indicates putting letters inside.
'clubs' becomes 'c' (abbreviation used in card games such as bridge).
'having' says to put letters next to each other.
'boxer perhaps' becomes 'dog' (boxer is a kind of dog).
'what' with letters rearranged gives 'wath'.
'wath' enclosing 'c' is 'watch'.
'watch'+'dog'='WATCHDOG'
'as' is the link.
(Other definitions for watchdog that I've seen before include "TV consumer programme" , "Guardian of people's rights, of canine origin" , "Guardian with teeth?" , "Heroic poem" , "Monitoring body" .)