Promoter Frank Warren says Tyson Fury agreed with the referee’s decision to halt the contest in round 11 after Fabio Wardley hurt Joseph Parker at the O2 Arena in London. Fury, who is a close friend of Parker (36-4, 24 KOs) agreed that the fight needed to be halted.
Seven Punches, No Answers
Warren notes that Parker wasn’t throwing anything back when referee Howard Foster stepped in and waived it off in the 11th. Indeed, Parker had thrown only seven punches in the entire round up to that point. Wardley had out-thrown Parker 52 to 7 in round 11. The fight had become a massacre.
Two minutes had elapsed since the start of the round, and he’d only thrown seven shots, landing just two. He had nothing to fight Wardley off at that point and was just trying to dodge shots with his back against the ropes.
“It was a Cinderella story for Fabio. The guy had no amateur experience. He has 20 fights, and he fights the #2 in the world in an exciting fight and won the prize. Now, he fights the four-belt holder in Oleksandr Usyk, which is going to be another classic,” said Frank Warren to talkSport Boxing about Fabio Wardley’s win over Joseph Parker.
It’s still too early to know if Oleksandr Usyk will fight Wardley next. If not, Wardley will be elevated to WBO heavyweight champion outside of the ring. It was a Cinderella story for Wardley, who took up boxing at 20, and in 10 years, he is now on the verge of becoming a wealthy millionaire against Usyk in 2026.
Fury Sides With the Ref
“He’s [Wardley] got that equalizer, that big punch. He [Tyson Fury] felt it should have been stopped [in round 11],” said Warren about Tyson Fury believing Parker needed to be pulled out after he was hurt by Wardley last Saturday.
Wardley’s power, combination punching, engine, and his chin are what got him through the fight. He had the better stamina than Parker, and the combination punching he was doing was impressive to watch. Fabio arguably was robbed of a second-round knockout when the referee stopped the action to allow Parker to have his mouthpiece put back in after he’d been hurt.
“If you’re not throwing punches back, the referee has no alternative but to stop it. I watched it back a few times, and Joe was hurt. He said it himself. It was a good stoppage. People going on and on. What do they want to see, somebody carried out on a stretcher?” said Warren.
