Parker Blasts Ref For Wardley Stoppage, Says He Felt Fine

Joseph Parker (36-4, 24 KOs) says he disagrees with referee Howard Foster’s decision to stop his fight in the 11th round after he was hit by a storm of shots from interim WBA heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) at the O2 Arena in London.

(Credit: Queensberry/Lee Downey)

Parker says he felt fine

Parker insists “I felt fine” Currently, referee Foster stopped the fight at 1:54 of round 11 after Wardley hurt him. At the moment the fight stopped, Parker wasn’t throwing anything back, and was trying to dodge punches while leaning on the ropes. If he had still been shooting defense, it would certainly have been a different story.

Parker says he wants a rematch with Wardley, but it won’t happen anytime soon. Wardley will next challenge Oleksandr Usyk for his undisputed heavyweight title in 2026. If Fabio, 30, defeats Usyk, a rematch is likely. Parker needs to get back into contention to get a second chance against Wardley.

“I still feel good after the fight stopped. “I’m not the person responsible for letting the fight go on or stopping it. It’s harder than I expected,” Joseph Parker told iFL TV, reflecting on his loss to Fabio Wardley on Saturday night.

Parker did not appear to be seriously hurt at the time of the stop. This was not the real problem. The problem was that he was taking too many shots and doing nothing offensively to force Wardley back.

When referee Foster stopped the fight on the 11th, Parker angrily shoved him. He wanted to continue, but the writing was already on the wall. Parker was badly injured not only in the 11th round, but in the 10th as well. It looked like he wouldn’t have escaped in the 10th round had it not been for the bell that saved him.

Wardley calls for a rematch

“I felt like I was in control of the fightBut I got punched big and that’s it. I still feel like I have a lot to offer. There’s no point in crying about it. It won’t change anything. Let’s do a rematch. “I would love to do it again,” Parker said.

Joseph was in control of the fight through the eighth round. From nine onwards, he was going downhill, taking big punches from the smaller, faster and more energetic Wardley. Rounds 9, 10 and 11 were bad for Parker. He dominated rounds 1, 3 through 8. That wasn’t enough against a knockout artist like Wardley, who carries his power late into his fights.