Joseph Parker (36-4, 24 KOs) says he disagrees with the referee Howard Foster’s decision to stop his fight in the 11th round after he was hurt by a storm 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 Fine

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

Parker says he wants a rematch with Wardley, but that won’t happen anytime soon. Wardley will be challenging Oleksander Usuk next for his undisputed heavyweight championship in 2026. If Fabio, 30, defeats Usyk, a rematch would be the more likely one to take. Parker needs to work his way back in contention to get a second crack at Wardley.

“I still felt fine after the fight was stopped. I’m not the one in charge of letting the fight go on or stopping it,” said Joseph Parker to iFL TV, reflecting on his loss to Fabio Wardley on Saturday night. “He’s tougher than I expected.”

Parker didn’t look badly hurt at the time of the stoppage. That wasn’t the real problem. The issue was that he was taking a lot of shots and doing nothing on offense to make Wardley back off.

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

Calls for a Wardley Rematch

“I felt like I was controlling the fight, but I got hit with a big punch and that’s it. I still feel I got a lot to give. There’s no point crying about it. It’s not going to change anything. Let’s do a rematch. I’d love to do it again,” said Parker.

Joseph was controlling the fight through round eight. From the ninth on, he was going downhill, taking big punches from the younger, faster, and more energetic Wardley.  Rounds 9, 10, and 11 were bad ones for Parker. He’d controlled rounds 1 and 3 through 8. That wasn’t enough against a knockout artist like Wardley, who carries his power late into his fights.