Joseph Parker saw his run back to the very top of the heavyweight division halted in London last night when underdog Fabio Wardley once again silenced his doubters.
Parker, a former WBO World Champion, entered the ring a considerable favourite to use his experience and skill to hand Ipswich’s Wardley his first career defeat.
What ensued was a back and forth war, with both men taking their opponent’s biggest shots until Wardley gained ground in the eleventh and forced Parker back with a barrage that convinced the referee to stop the fight.
Speaking to the press post-fight, Parker – who has shared the ring with heavy hitters in Anthony Joshua, Zhilei Zhang, Deontay Wilder and Martin Bakole – said Wardley was ‘right up there’ with the biggest punchers in the division.
“He’s right up there. He caught me with a few shots and I was like, ‘oh, nice.’
Having said that, Parker, like many watching, felt that he was in a state to carry on fighting when referee Howard Foster stepped in and waved off the action. In typical fashion, though, the fan-favourite New Zealander did nothing to distract from his opponent’s overall performance.
“He took the challenge, we both did, and he put on a good performance. I felt like I was putting on a good fight and then you get caught, and that’s boxing. I felt fine when they stopped the right, but I’m not the referee to stop. I wanted to carry on, of course.
“Listen, it sucks. It sucks losing a fight, I’m not going to sit here and pretend I’m all happy, but life goes on. Boxing is part of what I do. I’m very blessed with five kids and a family, so I want to give thanks to them. I want to regroup and see what next. It does suck, but I just want to say congratulations to Fabio, cause he won the fight fair and square and now he’s moving on to a bigger fight.”
Though Parker called for a rematch, Wardley will now turn his attention to Oleksandr Usyk and a shot at the undisputed heavyweight title, continuing what is becoming a fairytale in the sport.
