Was The Parker Vs. Wardley Stoppage Right?

Joseph Parker was unhappy with the referee Howard Foster for stopping his fight against Fabio Wardley in the 11th, but was it the right decision?

Parker found himself trapped on the ropes, with Wardley throwing numerous flurries. While that may have been the case, Parker had not hit the canvas, although he was offering very little in return. Parker was the WBO Interim Heavyweight Champion, with plenty on the line, knowing the winner would be in a position to fight the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Oleksandr Usyk.

Parker had also wobbled Wardey in the ninth round, as he could have arguably gone for the stoppage himself. David Adeleye suggested that Parker could have taken a knee to give himself extra time. However, doing so in the 11th round could have been costly on the scorecards even if Parker may have been ahead. Now, that some time has passed, Parker is unhappy. 

Parker Reacts

“I didn’t feel like it [got away from me]. The ref stopped the fight, I felt like I could keep going on, he saw enough, but I have to accept the result. Two shots hurt me, but I was still aware and wanted to carry on. Of course, I was hurting him, he was good, took a few shots here and there, he’s a warrior. He won the fight, he’s onto another big event and fight.

“I want to carry on, if I can get a rematch, then awesome, it’ll be great to run this back. I felt fine when they stopped the fight, but I’m not the referee, 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,” Parker said

The Reality

In the sequence leading to the stoppage, Parker was trapped on the ropes and was absorbing a “barrage of unanswered punches” from Wardley. A fighter demonstrating intelligent defense might block the majority of the shots, clinch to stop the offense, or move their head and feet to evade the punches and escape the ropes. Taking multiple clean shots to the head without responding is the exact moment a referee must intervene. While Parker was the interim champion and the fight carried massive stakes, the referee cannot consider the potential title shot against Usyk. He must only consider the fighter’s immediate safety.