Fabio Wardley stuns Joseph Parker with 11th-round stoppage
Thrilling main event saves one of the worst Pay-Per-View offerings in recent years
The Fabio Wardley story wrote yet another exciting chapter in London last night when the Ipswich man forced a stoppage of Joseph Parker in round 11. Of course, in true boxing fashion, the ending was controversial.
Even though Parker was hurt by the same uppercut that he struggled to deal with all night, Howard Foster’s intervention at 1-54 of the penultimate session came during a brief lull in the onslaught.
Parker and his team, led by Andy Lee, would no doubt suggest it was a storm the 40-fight veteran could weather. Two of the judges had Parker leading, 98-92 and 96-94, at the time of the finish, while a third had it all even at 95-95 apiece.
With a fair few fight fans waiting for the former white collar boxer to falter at every step-up, he’s confounded the critics by carrying on winning. In an era of recycled names and faces, Wardley has a lot to offer the heavyweight division.
Fabio’s raw power and unpredictable ring nature make for compelling viewing, as evidenced by his come-from-behind knockout win over Justis Huni. Whether those skills would transfer to taming Huni’s fellow antipodean pugilist, Joseph Parker, was another matter entirely.
Arriving as a former WBO heavyweight champion and one of the top contenders to Oleksandr Usyk’s throne, Parker, like his opponent here, was unafraid to take risks to get to where he needed to be. And taking risks was something Parker was doing more of in the fight itself, which created a must-watch Interim title tussle.
After Parker boxed nicely behind his jab in the opening round, Wardley roared back in round two and hurt his man, who spat the gumshield out and allowed Andy Lee to leisurely wash and restore it.
The bout was a high-paced, intense battle. Wardley’s unorthodox movements and scything shots were dangerous. Parker, who seemed more in control when using the jab and straighter shots, instead opted to slug it out, much to the crowd’s delight.
The New Zealander’s left hand dictated much of the action in the sixth, as the jab and hooks rolled out. Wardley was doing a good job of riding the shots and getting back into position following any moments of distress. His frequently-damaged nose held up, too.
Parker’s big fight experience enabled him to stay organised and spring on Wardley whenever the Ipswich man sought a moment of respite. Refusing to fold despite increasing pressure, Wardley was looking ragged in the ninth, his face marking up, cheeks swelling.
Parker had worked out the movements, waiting for Fabio to slide down and off to the side, slinging out a left hook to meet him. In yet another huge lurch of momentum, Wardley landed an uppercut in the 11th that sent Parker’s legs tottering.
You can support Steve’s Boxing updates by:
❤️ Liking the post (a free shot that makes you feel good).
🗣️ Leave a comment to get things off your chest. Agree with Steve? Think he’s talking nonsense as usual? Let me know.
🥊 Subscribe! It’s all free. Get everything I write or say directly to your inbox.
☕ Buy me a coffee. If you’ve got a spare couple of shillings 👇👇👇
Pouncing like a tenacious tomcat on a mesmerised mouse, Wardley’s get-the-knockout-or-get-knocked-out approach reaped rewards. Parker was noticeably dabbing at his left eye as blood began to trickle.
There seemed to be a sudden sapping of the energy reserves as Wardley waded in and waged war. Not everything landed. Not everything needed to land. Mr Foster soon decided enough was enough.
The headline attraction was a cracker, making up for the overall poor quality of a below-par PPV card. Grinning like a Cheshire cat, with all of his nine lives, promoter Frank Warren lapped up the cream of the moment as his unconventional charge called out Usyk.
With each passing fight, it seems less and less outlandish. Declining the option of sitting about and waiting for his own shot, Parker took a noble gamble that has not paid off, leaving him back in the mixed-up scramble of the pack. By hook or by crook, Wardley continues to scratch and climb a way over them all, towards the leading names.
Heavyweights gather to announce…well, nothing really
Before the chief supporting contest, Derek Chisora and Dillian Whyte went face-to-face. They were expected to announce a third fight in December, which nobody really wants to see. Instead, they just mumbled aimlessly and delayed the evening’s final two fights.
Jarrell Miller even dropped by for a peaceful chat. Why this serial drug offender is still a relevant entity, earning huge paydays, is an unanswerable question. Prior to all of this, a group of heavyweight contenders and pretenders formed a semi-circle, which looked nice, but once again, nothing came of it in the form of solid future matchups or mouthwatering announcements.
Ezra Taylor stops Woodall, Jurgen Uldedaj wins IBO belt
On the undercard, Nottingham fighter Ezra Taylor punched the resistance out of Steed Woodall in nine rounds of their light-heavyweight clash. Taylor is a fast-improving specimen who will be a handful for any of the better operators.
Warming up the main event, or cooling it down in reality, an Albanian and a Cameroonian met for the vacant IBO cruiserweight title. After 12 rounds, Juergen Uldedaj walked away with the esteemed belt, defeating Rolly Lambert Fogoum, much to the delight of the Albanian fanbase.
Royston Barney-Smith too sharp while Mitchell Smith returns to the limelight
Royston Barney-Smith stepped up to a level many thought he would reach by dominating Danny Quartermaine over 10 rounds. Barney-Smith dropped Quartermaine in the final round with a counter right hook.
Quartermaine was also docked a point in the seventh for illicit head use. Walking away with a couple of fringe baubles, Barney-Smith is a skilled southpaw with good, fluid combinations. There is a long way to go, considering he is only 21, but the present looks promising.
Comeback king Mitchell Smith may no longer be the ‘Baby Faced Assassin’, but the 32-year-old has clearly weathered well, as shown by his points win over Arnie Dawson.
Upright Dawson was dropped by a winging right hand at the close of the opening round. Smith landed the higher quality punches, prevailing unanimously by scores of 96-93 and two totals of 98-91 in favour of a man who at one stage ballooned up to 240 pounds.
Image Credits: Leigh Dawney/Queensberry
About Steve…
Current existence: Online editor at Boxing News Magazine.
Previous lives: Author (8 books), podcaster (500+ eps), scriptwriter for Motivedia channel, newspaper journalist, copywriter & educator.
Contact: stevenwellings1982@gmail.com
Great to see that you gave very little attention to that draining IBO World Cruiserweight title fight!
The brawl in the crowd was much more entertaining than anything in the ring, even only being able to glimpse it on the broadcast! :)