The Heavyweight encounter between former WBO World Heavyweight champion Joseph Parker and undefeated top contender Fabio Wardley on June 25th at the O2 Arena in London, England was one that could and frankly should have repercussions for the talent-deep Heavyweight division going into 2026. Not only was it a rarity in that two number one contenders in two separate world sanctioning organizations, chose to risk their respective standings against each other rather than sit and wait for a title shot to come to them, but stylistically, it provided the dynamic of a boxer/puncher in Parker, who has been at or near the top of the division for more than a decade going against a “Knockout Artist” in Wardley.
It was also a fight that came following a significant scare for Wardley in his previous outing against previously unbeaten Justis Huni earlier this year in a fight where Wardley was trailing on all three scorecards before dropping Huni late in the tenth round to score a dramatic come from behind knockout, saving his undefeated record and his standing as the WBA's top Heavyweight contender in the process. As thrilling as that knockout was, however, it did present a question for at least some regarding whether it might be too much, too soon for him in terms of competing at the top level of the Heavyweight division. In particular, by opting to roll the dice against a former world champion in Parker, who not only had more experience than both he and Huni, but also a more well-rounded skillset than Huni.
The old adage of “Styles Make Fights” was almost immediately appropriate from the opening bell. Parker throwing and landing punches consistently behind a quick jab and seeming to get the better of the action when he used his hand speed, Wardley not outworking Parker, but landing hard thudding blows seemingly every time he connected. It did not take long before the dynamics in terms of the styles of the two fighters provided an entertaining bout.
It was a bout that though Parker seemed to be in control for a significant portion of it, there were plenty of back and forth heated exchanges that kept one on the edge of their seats. Both fighters had periods throughout the fight where they were able to stun the other, but after round four where this observer felt the two fighters split the first four rounds, Parker was able to gradually build a lead on points. This was due primarily to both his ability to throw and land crisp combinations, but also doing so with accuracy. In the seventh round one such heated exchange of offense between the two fighters was won by Parker. The exchange, however, triggered a response from yours truly as I observed the bout on X (formerly Twitter) that while Parker had pulled ahead by a five rounds to two margin on my scorecard, he was playing with fire by being willing to stand and trade with Wardley. As Justis Huni learned earlier this year in his own bout with Wardley, you can be winning every minute of every round without a question of doubt and still get caught.
While I do not claim any psychic abilities, the one thing I do have as a proud Boxing lifer and one who has dedicated his life to covering the sport over the last thirty years, is experience in having covered thousands of fights on every level of Boxing and thus having an instinct based on that experience as to what might happen based on what I can see. This was a case where at that point in the fight, I felt all Parker needed to do was use his lateral movement to evade Wardley as he came forward and continue out boxing him by throwing short, but compact combinations. Although after eight rounds I felt the fight was still on the table for both in terms of being able to win a decision, and keeping in mind that up to that point, Parker had withstood Wardley’s hardest punches, particularly his right hand, I felt that the wise approach was for Parker to be elusive and not give the noted “Knockout Artist” an opportunity to take advantage of an opening.
Rounds nine and ten followed a similar pattern as the majority of rounds throughout the fight, Parker seeming to control the majority of those rounds, beating Wardley to the punch, and at times looking as though he might be able to get a stoppage as Wardley seemed to be wilting periodically due to both the high pace the fight was being fought at as well as likely the accumulation of Parker's combinations throughout. Wardley did manage to stun Parker late in the tenth round, but it was at that point that I made another observation in real time on X that we had reached the point in the contest where Wardley needed a knockout to win this fight and that scoring knockdowns would not be enough to get the job done on points.
As often happens in combat sports, one should always keep a mentality that anything can happen at any time and until you hear a final bell, one should not dismiss the possibility of something unexpected and dramatic happening. The eleventh round can be summed up in three words.”Sudden,” “Dramatic,” and “Controversial.”
The statement made by this observer just prior to round eleven would prove to provide the exact scenario that Wardley needed to turn things in his favor to bring the fight to a sudden, dramatic, and controversial conclusion. At the midway point of the round, Wardley connected with a flush right hand that staggered Parker badly. A scenario that had played out periodically throughout the fight whenever Wardley had been able to land solidly, but up to this point, Parker was able to withstand those blows.
This appeared as though it would be similar as, despite being badly stunned and largely on the defensive, Parker’s eyes appeared clear and he was trying to weather the storm of offense that Wardley was throwing relentlessly with urgency, clearly sensing both that he was at a point where he was going to lose this fight on the scorecards and that this was his opportunity to change that narrative. While not landing with every shot he threw in the seemingly endless barrage, he did succeed in keeping Parker on the defensive where it appeared to yours truly that he was only able to get off one or two punches in response to what Wardley was throwing at him. It was at this point where Parker was attempting to evade punches and deflect what he could with his gloves that Referee Howard Foster stepped in and stopped the fight at 1:54 of round eleven without a knockdown occurring or Parker seemingly getting hit with a blow that would force the referee’s hand to step in and stop it.
Reacting in real time, I commented on X following the stoppage that Foster would be criticized for stepping in. Before I go deeper in that assessment, first some context is appropriate for what will follow.
Referee Howard Foster, who is based in the United Kingdom has been a referee on the professional level of the sport of Boxing for twenty-eight years having officiated over 1,500 professional fights including many world championship bouts, European, and British/Commonwealth championship bouts. While Foster also has served in the capacity as a judge scoring fights for over twenty-five years, which includes nearly 700 bouts, including many non-title bouts on the British/Commonwealth level where the referee is the sole judge scoring those bouts, nearly 2,220 bouts of combined service as a referee and judge indicates that Foster is extremely experienced and frequently called upon to serve in either capacity by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) and other athletic commissions and regulatory boards throughout the world where he has been called upon to either referee or serve as a judge.
Referees like the rest of us are human beings and along with experience they bring with them into the ring are as prone to human error as the rest of us. The aspect of one's experience, while serving as an indication that the individual has paid their dues and is trusted to be in the position they are in regardless of what field they are in, the human aspect and the potential for errors to be made is always there. Despite Foster’s extensive resume, he is no stranger to controversy and has developed a reputation over the years in some circles as one who is at times quick in stopping fights.
Anyone who has followed the career of this observer over the last three decades either knows or should know that more often than not, when it comes to fights being stopped, I will side with the referee, doctor, or corner of a fighter who ultimately makes that often difficult decision. More often than not, such decisions are judgement calls that are ultimately motivated by the sole intention of protecting the fighter from further punishment and the potential of serious injury or God forbid worse.
Anyone who has spent any significant time in and around combat sports knows that often these types of judgement calls boil down to split second calls. It is far from an easy task to know what the right call might be in the heat of the moment. No one, however, wants to live with what can happen if a fight that should be stopped is allowed to go on where it results in either permanent injury to a fighter or unfortunately death.
This was a case where Joseph Parker did not appear to be in danger of possible serious/permanent injury or possibly having his life in danger. It is indisputable, however, that he was badly stunned and was not returning offense at a rate that would have convinced Foster that he was capable of continuing. On the other side of the equation, several of Wardley’s shots during this final barrage were not landing cleanly and it is certainly possible that Parker though under heavy fire, was trying to both compose himself and look for an opening to return offense or get off the ropes.
Having viewed the stoppage more than once, I believe Howard Foster was a bit early in stepping in for the sole reason that Parker's eyes appeared to be clear and he was able to avoid some of what Wardley was dishing out. We could be talking about a span of between 10-15 seconds that may have provided some clarity one way or another as to whether Parker may have been able to survive or whether Foster was justified in stepping in.
If Foster had given Parker that benefit of doubt, there are a few scenarios that could have occurred. One and perhaps the most obvious is that Wardley could have landed another solid blow that may have either resulted in a knockdown of Parker or would have served as the trigger for Foster to step in where the justification would not be questioned. Scenario two, and the most logical if you are a fighter in Parker's position would be to attempt to clinch and buy yourself some seconds to get your legs and faculties back while waiting for the referee to initiate a break and thus allow you a chance to get off the ropes. Possibility three, Parker may have found an opening and landed something that would have stopped the barrage of punches Wardley was throwing, and finally scenario four, the exhausting pace of the fight, which was significant by Heavyweight standards, combined with Wardley putting everything he had behind this final barrage of offense could have resulted in him punching himself out, which in turn could have provided Parker with an opportunity to at minimum evade and get through the round.
All of this is hypothetical, of course, because the fight was stopped. Although the winner of this fight was supposed to be theoretically next in line to challenge undefeated Undisputed Heavyweight championship Oleksandr Usyk, the fact that there is that element of controversy regarding whether the fight should have been stopped coupled with the fact that Fabio Wardley was indeed trailing on all three official scorecards at the time of the stoppage, would appear to create the ideal conditions for an immediate rematch. When one factors in that Usyk, who recently became the only man in Boxing history to fully unify the World Heavyweight championship twice, has yet to indicate what he wants to do next and may be heading towards retirement, it seems all the more logical that there be a rematch between Wardley and Parker. One should also take into consideration that it was also one of the more entertaining Heavyweight fights in recent memory.
“And That's The Boxing Truth.”
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