Joseph Parker vs Fabio Wardley stoppage branded ’10 seconds too late’ amid early intervention debate

John Fury reacts to Joseph Parker vs Fabio Wardley

Joseph Parker is a long-time sparring partner of Tyson Fury, who was sitting ringside to cheer on his friend this past weekend.

John Fury was there too. The outspoken head of boxing’s most famous family shared his thoughts on the Parker vs Wardley stoppage, which goes against most people, who thought the fight was called off too early.

No. Absolutely not,” Fury Sr. said when iFL TV asked him if the referee jumped in prematurely.

“Whoever says that stoppage was a little bit early wants locking up and licenses taken off them.

“For my money, it was 10 seconds too late, because Joe was taking unnecessary punches off a man who can knock a wall down with either hand in Fabio Wardley.

“It was absolutely too slow, the stoppage. It should’ve been done earlier, because you’re dealing with people’s lives who have got family and children. You’ve gotta think about them when you’re a referee.

“And he was a beaten man in there. Joe was beat. You’ve gotta look at your man and say, ‘Hang on, he can’t recover from this.’ Yeah, he’s gonna get lucky, and I know all the drill, it’s a world title fight, and they’ve gotta give him the benefit of the doubt, but he was getting killed in there.

“In that 11th round, it was coming from all ways. The bombs were raining in on him, and he was defenseless.

“10 seconds too long. There’s been a lot of wrong calls made, and there’s a lot of bodies in the ground through wrong calls. Boxing’s a dangerous game, and when you’re messing with a man like Fabio Wardley, he’ll hit that wall and knock a big dent in it. You’re only skin and bone. You can’t let a man like that tee off on you.

“I was worried for Joe there, I really was. If it were me, he needs to go to the hospital and get his head X-rayed from top to bottom before he does anything else.”

Joseph Parker wanted to carry on

Joseph Parker kept it classy during his immediate reaction to what he felt was a premature stoppage.

“Congratulations to Fabio Wardley for a tough fight,” the former WBO heavyweight champion said.

“A warrior, at the end of the fight, I thought I was fine, but I am not the ref.

“I wanted to carry on, of course. It sucks to lose a fight, not pretending I’m happy, but life goes on.

“Boxing is what I do, but I’m blessed with kids and a family, regroup, then see what comes next.

“I don’t regret anything I do. Boxing is just part of what I do. I’m blessed with a family and a wonderful team. It’s just a bump in the road. I felt good out there.”