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 injured by a flurry of shots from WBA interim heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) at the O2 Arena in London.
(Credit: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney)
Parker says he felt good
Parker insists that he “feel good” at the moment referee Foster stopped the match at 1:54 of round 11 after Wardley hurt him. The moment the fight was stopped, Parker didn’t throw anything back, trying to dodge punches while leaning against the ropes. If he was still firing back in defense, it would surely have been a different story.
Parker says he wants a rematch with Wardley, but it won’t happen anytime soon. Wardley will next challenge Oleksander Usuk for his undisputed heavyweight championship in 2026. If Fabio, 30, defeats Usyk, a rematch would be the most likely take. Parker needs to work his way back into contention to get a second crack at Wardley.
“I still felt good after the fight was stopped. I’m not the one in charge to make the fight go on or stop it,” said Joseph Parker iFL TVreflects on his loss to Fabio Wardley on Saturday night. “He’s tougher than I expected.”
Parker did not appear to be seriously injured at the time of the stoppage. That wasn’t the real problem. The issue was that he took a lot of shots and did nothing on offense to turn Wardley back.
When referee Foster stopped the fight in the 11th, Parker angrily punched him. He wanted to continue, but the writing was already on the wall. Parker was badly injured not only in the 11th round, but also in the 10th. He looked like he wouldn’t have escaped lap 10 if not for the bell that saved him.
Praying for a Wardley Rematch
“I felt like I was in control of the fightbut I got hit with a big punch and that’s it. I still feel like I have a lot to care for. There is 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 controlled the fight through round eight. From the ninth he went downhill, taking big punches from the younger, faster and more energetic Wardley. Rounds 9, 10 and 11 were bad for Parker. He controlled rounds 1 and 3 through 8. It wasn’t enough against a knockout artist like Wardley, who lets his power carry into his fights.
Last updated on 25/10/2025
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