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fabio wardley punched joseph parker A standstill late Saturday night and saved another lost cause O2,
Wardley was trailing on two of three scorecards before the grueling 11th round, but that situation is now becoming common in his extraordinary career. He was losing the fight badly, forget the drawn third scorecard.
It was a brutal heavyweight fight until the end at 1:54 of the 11th, and both men were hurt, staggered, stunned and in distress at times before the final thrilling moments. Everything is over, dreams are broken, dreams are made And Wardley’s ridiculous journey continued.
After midnight there were mounting attempts to boldly claim that the stoppage by referee Howard Foster was too early. Evidence of the outrage gathered after that moment, the final seconds after Foster jumped between Wardley’s fist and Parker’s head. In fights of this intensity the referee sometimes has to make snap decisions and these can be life changing; If he takes a wrong decision, a late decision, it could cost him his life.
Foster went inside, Parker was not throwing back and Wardley was letting his hands go; Parker looked okay after the save and Wardley was missing some punches, but Parker was getting a lot of punches bouncing off his head, so in my opinion, it was a good stoppage. The ending – and all attempts to make it controversial – should take nothing away from Wardley’s victory, Parker’s role in a classic fight, and the wonderful night it was for the sport.
In the drama of the victory, it was easy to forget that the trophy for the winner was a guaranteed fight for the undisputed world heavyweight title. Wardley will fight now oleksandr usyk For all four belts early next summer, assuming Usyk finishes his extended vacation with his family and returns to his fighting ways.
However, here’s the caveat: In front of approximately 19,000 fans, Wardley was pulled from Parker. O2And Wardley stepping out to fight Usyk will be another long, drawn out and uncertain journey for the Suffolk man. Don’t think twice about Parker – he had the Usyk fight, but he agreed to fight Wardley to stay sharp.
Forget the ending, forget the magical Usyk for a second, because Saturday night belonged to two fighters, each shaped in different areas, but somehow coming together in a reluctant story of opportunities to deliver something extraordinary. And he delivered from the first bell.
Parker was quick, sharp and dynamic in the opener and Wardley seemed to be struggling with pace. As the bell rang to end the first round, Parker connected with a clean right hand and Wardley felt it. Wardley made a simple and minor adjustment by the second round and it helped him – possibly even winning him the fight. Wardley tilted his head to the right and bent it down, and that meant that many of Parker’s straight right crosses – his signature punch – missed the sweet spots somewhere near Wardley’s chin.
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In the second, when it looked like Parker was in control with his jab and his speed, Wardley connected and Parker’s legs went stiff. Parker was horrified, his eyes glazed over and then, as Wardley let go of his hands, Parker’s gumshield came off; There were 31 precious seconds left when the referee called a stoppage to replace the shield. There was a commotion, Andy Lee in Parker’s corner washed the shield well and it was a long break. Somehow, Parker survived 31 seconds after the clock started and the delayed fight resumed. It was great work for Lee to get his boxer on for a few extra seconds – in Wardley’s corner, Ben Davison was furious. He later claimed that there was no interruption of action and therefore the referee should not have stopped the action to replace the shield. It was only the second round and the fight was already very special.
And it continued that way for most of the next eight full rounds. Wardley was avoiding many of Parker’s big shots, but Parker was winning many rounds. As the fight progressed, Wardley looked more relaxed, an ominous presence who was able to get the best of Parker. This was attenuated in every round, even in those rounds when each of them took a so-called respite.
Obviously, both of them were clearly showing signs of the brawl they were in by the start of the 11th round. Wardley had slowed down, Parker had slowed down boxing Smart and then the bell rang on the 11th; Parker was clearly in front of me at that time, but it seems Wardley is always dangerous.
Parker was trapped on two sides of the ropes, high above his own corner, receiving shots to his head, shoulders, face, gloves and chest – Wardley never stopped throwing punches that could have secured the victory. This went on and on, the ref went silent, Parker wobbled, Wardley emptied his depleted tank.
It’s always a messy one, a fight with a lot at stake when two tired men are killing each other late at night. The entire crowd was screaming in the final moments as Parker neither punched nor landed a punch. And Big Joe had to pay the price. At 1:54, Foster went in, Parker was not happy, Wardley collapsed to the canvas from joy and exhaustion. The Heavyweight Classic was over.
Wardley will now have to wait for news from Usyk and Parker will have to keep a close eye on his decision to take the fight; Well, Wardley is now officially the most exciting heavyweight in boxing. what a night.