British heavyweight (200+ lbs) Fabio Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KO’s) has overcome all the odds to secure a title shot against Ukrainian undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk (24-0, 15 KO’s) after defeating New Zealand opponent Joseph Parker (36-4, 24 KO’s) in the 11th round of their 12-round title fight.

Wardley and Parker fought at the prestigious O2 Arena in London on Saturday, November 25th, in a high-stakes and thrilling match that captured the essence of heavyweight boxing. With Parker’s WBO interim heavyweight title on the line, the winner was already confirmed to be next in line to face Usyk ― which now elevates Wardley as one of the unlikeliest challengers for the Ukrainian’s undisputed titles.

The title bout itself was a close-knit contest that saw both fighters go back and forth several rounds with Parker arguably ahead on the scorecards by the 11th round

Known for his power and resilience, Fabio Wardley did well in the earlier rounds as he stunned Joseph Parker several times, particularly in the 1st round where the New Zealand fighter looked close to being stopped. While the 2nd round swung towards Parker who used his range and combinations to clearly take the round, the 3rd round saw Wardley come back in full force with haymakers that threatened Parker’s chances of a victory.

However, Parker proved to be no less resilient and adaptable himself as a gameplan centered around flowing between pinpoint counters and controlled pressure saw him comeback from the first 3 rounds to take the lead by the 6th.

Both fighters continued to impress in the latter half of the fight. Though their jabs were inconsistent at times, it was Parker who established himself with his jabwork while Wardley seemed to struggle with fatigue and the pace of the bout.

By the 10th round, Parker seemed to be in the lead but things shifted as Wardley ― who had been facing an onslaught of Parker’s combinations the last two rounds and seemed on the brink of being stopped ― suddenly gained a spurt of energy as one of his lethal right hands stunned Parker, leading to the British heavyweight taking the 10th round with powerful shots that Parker clearly struggled with.

It was in the 11th round that the upset of the night occurred as Fabio Wardley continued his assault on Joseph Parker, with his shots making it past Parker’s tight defense and pushing the New Zealand interim champion into the ropes due to numerous combinations. Getting hit flush multiple times, Parker was clearly being tagged to the point the referee stepped in around the 2nd minute of the round and called the match off, resulting in a 11th round technical knockout (TKO) victory for Wardley.

Though the stoppage was not without controversy, with referee Howard Foster arguably stepping into a time where Joseph Parker might have continued fighting to make for an exciting and deciding 12th round, the New Zealand fighter was not throwing back any shots and as the away fighter likely gave the referee an ideal excuse to stop the fight earlier than necessary.

With a victory over the experienced Parker secured, Wardley now stands as the WBO interim champion of the heavyweight division and the next challenger to be facing Oleksandr Usyk in what can best be construed as a mountain to climb for the British heavyweight with Usyk’s style and skillset looking very much mismatched against Wardley’s style given Usyk’s last performance against a puncher in Daniel Dubois.

On the scorecards, Joseph Parker was en route to a split-decision win with two judges having him ahead with scores of 96-94 and 98-92, while a third judge had the two fighters even with a 95-95 score.

Other Results:

• In the co-main event and cruiserweight (200 lbs) title bout for the vacant IBO world title, Juergen Uldedaj defeated Rolly Lambert Fogoum by unanimous decision (12 rounds) with scores of 120-108, 119-109 and 118-110.
  
• Light-heavyweight (175 lbs) contender Ezra Taylor stopped late-replacement opponent Steed Woodall in the 9th round. Woodall’s corner threw in the towel at 0:54 of Round 9.
  
• In the super featherweight (130 lbs) division, Royston Barney‑Smith dominated Danny Quartermaine over 10 rounds, including a knockdown in Round 10 and scored a wide unanimous decision. Scores included 100-88 (twice) and 98-90.
  
• At lightweight (135 lbs), Mitchell Smith claimed the vacant WBO European title by beating Arnie Dawson via unanimous decision (10 rounds). Dawson was down in Round 1. The cards read 96-93, 96-93 and 97-92 in favor of Smith.