Tyson Fury has revealed his thoughts on Joseph Parker‘s knockout defeat to Fabio Wardley.
Parker was on the wrong end of an upset loss to Wardley at The O2 Arena in London, suffering an 11th round stoppage to end any hopes of challenging undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in the near future.
One man who knows all about Usyk is Fury, who had two bouts against the Ukrainian in 2024, losing them both before announcing his retirement from the sport earlier this year.
Fury is close friends with Parker, and was ringside to watch the fight against Wardley unfold, with some believing that it was stopped too prematurely.
‘The Gypsy King’ has now had his say on the matter, suggesting to Boxing King Media that there couldn’t be many complaints about the stoppage due to the ‘unanswered punches’ Parker received.
“It’s heavyweight boxing. You get caught with big shots. There were a good few punches, I wasn’t counting, but it looked like a lot. Obviously I’m concerned for Joe because he’s a friend, a close friend, and you don’t want to see anybody get hurt, but it was what it was, unanswered punches.
“I thought Joe was about four or five rounds up on the cards, but he got caught, that’s what it is. That’s boxing. Fabio is really good, I’m very happy for him. I’m wounded for Joe because he’s like my brother, but well done to Fabio Wardley.”
While Parker’s hopes of facing Usyk are now all but over, Wardley appears to be the new frontrunner for a potential clash against the undisputed heavyweight champion in 2026.
