LONDON — Fabio Wardley keeps silencing his critics — and now he could be heading toward a showdown with boxing’s undisputed heavyweight king, Oleksandr Usyk.
Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) stopped Joseph Parker in Round 11 in dramatic come-from-behind fashion on Saturday night at The O2 Arena in London, to dethrone Parker (36-4, 24 KOs) of his WBO interim heavyweight title and become the mandatory challenger to Usyk’s undisputed belts.
Wardley was formerly the WBA interim champion, a belt he won by knocking Justis Huni out in a scintillating turnaround this past June. Wardley was well behind on the cards and thought to be out of the fight when he found a right hand from nowhere that put Huni onto the canvas.
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The Ipswich boxer’s WBA interim title, however, was not on the line on Saturday as the WBO doesn’t allow interim title unifications, and so the pair fought for Parker’s title instead. The WBO mandatory is due for Usyk next and the sanctioning body is expected to officially order Usyk to defend his strap against Wardley in the coming weeks.
Usyk’s adviser, Serhii Lapin, said prior to Saturday’s fight that the winner of Wardley vs. Parker will be the frontrunner to face Usyk next, and that news was music to Wardley’s ears after he clinched the position.
“I’ve got only one thing to say: Uuuu-syk,” Wardley said following his win.
From the opening stages of Saturday’s contest, it was clear that Parker’s jab was the sharper of the two, and that allowed the New Zealander to control the action early. It wasn’t long before a dramatic moment occurred though, as Parker hurt Wardley at the end of the opener with a right hand and followed up with a heavy flurry of shots. Wardley benefitted from the bell ringing just as Parker was getting to work.
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In Round 2, it was Wardley’s turn to strike. Parker began the round aggressively but his efforts were quickly halted when Wardley connected with his signature overhand right. Parker was in desperate trouble and forced to hold on to Wardley. The now-former champ was awarded a brief respite when his gumshield became dislodged, which allowed him a few seconds to recover.
Parker controlled the action from Round 3 onward. He seemed to be the better boxer at long range and found the more consistent successes. Blood poured from Wardley’s nose in the middle rounds and his face became a mess. Despite Parker’s ability to land significant punches on Wardley in almost every round, Wardley never looked to be overly troubled by Parker’s mid-round power and the feeling lingered in the air inside the O2 Arena that as long as Wardley was in the fight, he could win.
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Parker rocked Wardley with a right hand over the top in Round 7 and forced him backward onto the ring ropes. The eighth was a quieter frame, but in the ninth, Parker found more power shots on Wardley’s chin. He was able to get through with a stiff combination, but still it wasn’t enough to take Wardley out.
Round 10 looked like several of the previous rounds. Parker, well ahead on the scorecards, hurt Wardley again in the final minute of the frame. This time, however, Wardley managed to fire back and was on the verge of a finish when Parker was rescued by the bell. The New Zealander looked to be out on his feet.
Wardley went into the penultimate session knowing that he needed a knockout — and that’s exactly what he found.
Wardley wobbled Parker with a right hand and beat the New Zealander up from one corner of the ring to another. Parker refused to take a knee and although he was firing back, after about 30 seconds of Wardley unloading, referee Howard Foster decided to stop the contest.
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The stoppage was protested by Parker and was the subject of much controversy on social media, but ultimately it’ll be Wardley who advances into a potential fight with the defining heavyweight of this era.
Check out full Parker vs. Wardley results and highlights below, as well as Uncrowned’s play-by-play of the main card.
Main Card
WBO interim heavyweight title: Fabio Wardley def. Joseph Parker 11th-round TKO | Watch finish
IBO cruiserweight title: Juergen Uldedaj def. Rolly Lambert Fogoum via unanimous decision (120-108, 118-110, 119-109)
Light heavyweight: Ezra Taylor def. Steed Woodall. via ninth-round TKO
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Super featherweight: Danny Quartermaine def. Royston Barney-Smith via unanimous decision (98-90, 100-88, 100-88)
Super featherweight: Mitchell Smith def. Arnie Dawson via unanimous decision (96-93, 98-91, 98-91)
Super bantamweight: Hassan Ishaq def. Jake Pollard via second-round KO | Watch finish
Super flyweight: Tony Curtis def. Lakshmy Zaragoza Contreras via points (60-54)
Featherweight: Zayn Ahmed def. Engel Gomez via points (38-37)
Super middleweight: George Crotty def. Bahadur Karami via points (40-36)
Super welterweight: Jimmydean Wood def. Artjom Spatar via points (40-36)
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Super lightweight: Anton Esson def. Jordan Ellison via points (39-37)
Live coverage is over84 updates
Darshan Desai
Darshan Desai
Fabio Wardley has called for a shot at undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk in his post-fight interview.
Darshan Desai
Fabio Wardley just produced another dramatic finish.
Wardley, down on the scorecards, had a big Round 10, but it was in Round 11 where he badly wobbled Parker with a right hand. Parker refused to take a knee and didn’t throw back much either. After about 30 seconds of Wardley beating Parker up from one corner of the ring to another, landing some big punches, the referee stepped in and stopped the contest.
What a win for Wardley!
Darshan Desai
Joseph Parker rocked Fabio Wardly in the final minute and continued to chop down with right hands. It looked like the finish was finally coming for the New Zealander when Wardley turned the tables and had Parker out on his feet. Wardley looked to be closing on a stoppage as a barrage of shots landed on Parker, but Parker was saved by the bell. Brilliant drama!
10-8 Wardley, 97-92 Parker
Darshan Desai
One-two goes Parker early. Wardley lands with a jab. The crowd cheers as Parker seems to get through with a punch. Nice right hand around the guard scores for Wardley. Parker LANDS BIG with the right hand. Now, Wardley is hurt. A barrage of punches goes in for the New Zealander. Parker is looking for the one shot that will finish this fight — but he doesn’t find it. Wardley survives.
10-9 Parker, 89-82 Parker
Darshan Desai
Right hand over the top from Wardley misses. Parker is knocking Wardley’s head back with the jab consistently in this round. Wardley is falling behind on the scorecards and may need to go for broke soon. Parker makes Wardley miss again with the right hand. No dramatic moments in this round, just solid boxing from Parker. Combination from Parker forces Wardley back.
10-9 Parker, 79-73 Parker
Darshan Desai
DAZN has Parker up 58-56, one point closer than Uncrowned.
Four-punch combination attempted by Parker early in the second minute but Wardley seemed to evade most of those. WARDLEY IS ROCKED! Parker landed a huge right hand over the top and Wardley had to seek refuge on the ring ropes and then hold on. Left hook from Parker drives Wardley back and a short right on the inside follows for the New Zealander.
10-9 Parker, 69-64 Parker
Darshan Desai
The jab is working a treat for Parker early in Round 6. Nice left hooks from Parker at short range, and a right-hand, left-hook, right-hand combination follows. Wardley was forced to hold on there in the final minute of Round 6. They traded BIG power shots. Short left hook for Parker to end the first half of this fight.
10-9 Parker, 59-55 Parker.
Darshan Desai
Wardley connects with a right early in the fifth but Parker takes it well. Parker now forces Wardley back. he goes downstairs with the left hook and then follows upstairs with a combination. Nice one-two from Parker at the two-minute mark. Parker sweeps up with a left uppercut. Wardley tried a right uppercut there. Blood is pouring from Wardley’s face.
10-9 Parker, 49-46 Parker.
Darshan Desai
Slow round through 1:30 minutes. Battle of the jabs. Neither man wants to commit to a power shot yet.
Parker ROCKS Wardley onto the ropes and is landing right hands and hooks at will. Wardley comes straight back with big shots of his own. Parker takes them and stays in the pocket to fire back. What FIREWORKS we are getting in London! What a chin these two have.
10-9 Parker, 39-37 Parker
Darshan Desai
Both men caught big in the first two rounds. What happens in Round 3?
They traded right hands, but it was Parker who landed clean, and Wardley’s legs did a dip.
They chant Wardley’s name, the crowd does. Parker chops down with a right, but Wardley lands an overhand in response. Parker LANDS CLEAN on Wardley again in the final minute of Round 3. Wardley didn’t look to be badly hurt.
10-9 Parker, 29-28 Parker
Darshan Desai
Wardley is made to miss with a right early in the frame. Parker continues to land heavy jabs. Wardley landed a jab, but it was countered by Parker’s right, and that momentarily shook Wardley. Parker followed with an attack. Now Wardley LANDS BIG! Wow. Parker is rocked! Wardley is looking for the finish. Parker is badly hurt in the final minute of Round 2. Left hook lands for Wardley. Wardley was landing huge rights on Parker. Parker’s gumshield was dislodged and that has given him a desperately needed breather. Brilliant action through two rounds.
10-9 Wardley, 19-19
Darshan Desai
More than 10,000 fans at The O2 Arena in London to see Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley attempt to punch their ticket to face Undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Parker was booed by the O2 crowd during the introductions, while Ipswich’s Wardley received a tremendous reception.
And we are underway. The left hand is connecting for Joseph Parker early. Parker is driving Wardley around the ring with his sharp jab. Wardley is unable to replicate Parker’s success with his own left hand, although a right did partially land just after the halfway point. Parker makes Wardley miss with a one-two and lets a combination go. Nice chopping right from Parker. WARDLEY IS HURT BY A RIGHT HAND! Late in the round, Parker connected with a power shot and unloaded with a combination while Wardley was on the ropes. Early success for the champ.
10-9 Parker
Darshan Desai
We are ready for the main event!
Darshan Desai
Although Joseph Parker is the a-side, it looks like Parker — accompanied by Tyson Fury — will walk to the ring first.
Darshan Desai
Darshan Desai
In a battle of interim world champions, WBO interim titleist Joseph Parker faces WBA interim champ Fabio Wardley.
As the WBO doesn’t allow interim unifications and the WBO is first up in the rotation of mandatories for Oleksandr Usyk, only Parker’s championship is up for grabs tonight.
The winner is expected to be the frontrunner to be Oleksandr Usyk’s next opponent.
New Zealand’s Parker (36-3, 24 KOs) formerly held the WBO heavyweight title from 2016 until he lost it to Anthony Joshua in a March 2018 unification bout. Parker is on a six-fight win streak since his 2022 stoppage loss to Joe Joyce, which includes victories over Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang and Martin Bakole.
Wardley (19-0-1, 18 KOs) captured the WBA interim crown with a sensational come-from-behind 10th-round knockout win over Justis Huni this past June.
Joseph Parker (left) and Fabio Wardley (right) during a weigh-in at Spitalfields Market, London. Picture date: Friday October 24, 2025. (Photo by Steven Paston/PA Images via Getty Images)
(Steven Paston – PA Images via Getty Images)
Darshan Desai
Juergen Uldedaj defeats Rolly Lambert by unanimous decision (120-108, 118-110, 119-109) to win the IBO cruiserweight world title.
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 25: Juergen Uldedaj punches Rolly Lambert during the IBO World Cruiserweight Title fight between Juergen Uldedaj and Rolly Lambert Fogoum on the “All or Nothing” Fight Night at The O2 Arena on October 25, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
(Richard Pelham via Getty Images)
Darshan Desai
Just three minutes to go, and I think everyone will be happy when this one’s over.
Uldedaj should be just one round away from winning the IBO title. Lambert has been competitive in the second half and won a few of the rounds, but Uldedaj certainly dominated the first half.
Clean right for the Albanian just after the one-minute mark. Uldedaj scores with a right-hand, left-hook combination. Lambert is forcing Uldedaj around the ring with tippy-tappy punches. Short right from Uldedaj, and he follows up, but Lambert comes straight back. Lambert goes to work on the inside, but nothing is getting through. Nice combination from Uldedaj to complete a dreadful 12 rounds.
10-9 Uldedaj, 117-111 Uldedaj
Darshan Desai