Joseph Parker: World media reacts to 11th round TKO defeat to Fabio Wardley

Parker landed successive right hands when Wardley advanced towards him in the 10th. Again his low hands represented an unnecessary risk, and he was punished when a right hand hurt him and sent him back towards the ropes where he struggled to survive.

When he was hurt by another right in the 11th he was again being hit cleanly. His reputation, alone, may have tempted Foster to allow him to continue fighting, but he was being hurt clearly and cleanly when the referee rescued him after one minute and 54 seconds, and increasingly struggling to survive.

Having rebuilt his career after defeat by Joyce, Parker – a world champion in 2016 – may struggle to recover.

Fabio Wardley punches Joseph Parker during the heavyweight fight at The O2 Arena in London. Photo / Getty Images

‘A gamble that backfired’

John Dennen, Sky Sports UK

Both men hurt each other as momentum swung from Parker to Wardley and back. But just as it looked like the contest was getting away from Wardley, he badly hurt Parker in the 10th round. He set about him in the 11th and eventually forced a stoppage.

Parker had put his position as the mandatory challenger for the WBO heavyweight world title, one of the four major belts all held by undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk, on the line by taking this fight against Wardley.

It was a gamble that backfired. Usyk must now fight Wardley next, or relinquish that WBO belt.

Parker is a former world champion, who lost his belt to Anthony Joshua in 2018, but he came into this fight in arguably the best form of his career.

Fabio Wardley and Joseph Parker in the WBO World heavy weight championship bout at the O2 arena, London. Photo / Getty Images

‘Wardley needed something special’

Gareth A Davies and Greg Wilcox, Telegraph

Fabio Wardley, the former white-collar boxer, will have a shot at the world heavyweight title after stopping Joseph Parker, the Kiwi veteran, on Saturday night.

Wardley, 30, who was working as a recruitment consultant when he first took up boxing, is now in line to face Oleksandr Usyk, the WBO champion.

Wardley needed something special in the closing stages of the fight, which took place in London’s docklands, because had it gone to the judges, he would probably have lost. Parker was up 98-92 and 96-94 on two scorecards, with the other level at 95-95.

But using the punching power that he had displayed on and off all night, Wardley went on an unstoppable attack in the 11th round, to which Parker had no answer.

Fabio Wardley celebrates against Joseph Parker. Photo / Photosport

Wardley delivers killer blow when needed

Darshan Desai, Yahoo Sports

From the opening stages of the 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.

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.

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.

Fabio Wardley takes a punch from Joseph Parker. Photo / Photosport.

‘This one will be remembered for years to come’

James Regan, ESPN

The fight was action-packed from the opening bell. Parker started strong, setting up behind his left jab and looked to have shaken Wardley early, but the Brit came back and dominated Round 2, stunning Parker in return.

Both fighters had success, landing shots to the head and body in equal measure and it was remarkable there wasn’t a knockdown sooner. Wardley constantly threatened with his big right hand that has earned him so many knockouts previously.

Parker started Round 10 with a flourish but Wardley responded with another right hand and soon had his opponent on the ropes, unleashing a flurry of punches before Parker was saved by the bell.

Sensing a knockout, and with his manager Michael Ofo urging his fighter not to let Parker recover, Wardley pounced, taking the fight to his opponent before Foster halted the contest.

The O2 has witnessed many great heavyweight fights and this one will be remembered for years to come given the heart shown from both men.

‘A heavyweight classic’

Social media reacts

Fabio Wardley with the come-from-behind 11th-round TKO of Joseph Parker to secure a shot at @ringmagazine heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk next year. That was an instant heavyweight classic.

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) October 25, 2025

Bad stoppage. Full stop. Too early. Too much at stake. Parker winning the fight. And Parker was slipping a lot of those closing shots. But Parker had to hold in that situation to take the ref out of it. #ParkerWardley

— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) October 25, 2025

Absurd stoppage.

Per the broadcast, Parker was up 6 rounds, 2 rounds and even.

Was Wardley pouring it on? Yes. But both men were having moments. No knockdowns. A fighter of Parker’s caliber deserved WAY more time. pic.twitter.com/eyEeZfH8kw

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) October 25, 2025