Joseph Parker vs. Fabio Wardley

Joseph Parker 262 lbs lost to Fabio Wardley 243 lbs by TKO at 1:54 in round 11 of 12

• Date: 2025-10-25
• Location: O2 Arena, Greenwich, London, United Kingdom
• Referee: Howard Foster
• Judge: Phil Edwards
• Judge: Matteo Montella
• Judge: Patrick Morley

• interim WBO World heavyweight title (3rd defence by Parker)

Fight Summary

• In the early rounds, Parker started strong, landing heavy shots and pushing Wardley back early. Wardley absorbed punishment but showed resilience, remaining dangerous with big power punches.
• Parker continued to land effectively through rounds 7–9, and looked ahead on the scorecards. Wardley then weathered Parker’s attacks and began finding his range.
• In round 10, Wardley hurt Parker late, staggering him and swinging momentum.
• In round 11, Wardley trapped Parker on the ropes and unloaded a series of heavy punches. Referee Howard John Foster stopped the fight at 1:54 of round 11, awarding Wardley a TKO victory.
• Parker’s team and some fans debated the stoppage, with discussions around whether he could have continued.
• Wardley’s victory made him the WBO mandatory challenger for a shot at Oleksandr Usyk; however, Usyk later vacated the title, and Wardley was elevated to full champion.
• At the time of the stoppage Parker was ahead 98-92 and 96-94 on two scorecards, while the third scorecard was even 95-95.[1]