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fabio wardley Promised to keep “riding the wave” and insisted he will fight the undisputed world heavyweight champion oleksandr usyk Joseph Parker’s dramatic pause in his garden.
in an exciting competition O2 ArenaWardley showed he is one of the toughest fighters in the sport as he swallowed several big punches from Parker before scoring the biggest win of his 21-fight career.
wbo Parker (36-4, 24KOs) is scheduled to face undisputed world heavyweight champion Usyk in July, but the New Zealander put his mandatory challenger status on the line against Wardley, who was still involved in white-collar boxing when his opponent was world champion in 2016.
Parker promised the 30-year-old would be on a “different level” and that was the case for much of the fight in London.
Wardley (20-0-1, 19KOs) seemed to miss his chance to stop the bout in the second round and again in the 10th in what appeared to be a sliding doors moment for the Ipswich right-hander.
Yet Wardley went to the well and came roaring back with a big right to stagger Parker in the 11th and a flurry of further punches forced referee Howard Foster to make a dramatic stoppage as the game continued its fairy tale.
asked whether wembley While facing Usyk was a dream destination, Wardley said: “Yeah… I don’t know, I think I’d like to go overseas, I’d like to do something bigger, something different, somewhere overseas.
“Maybe America? I haven’t been there yet. After all, it could be in my back garden, I wouldn’t care.
“Tell Usyk to come over, give him directions to Ipswich, I’ll give him my postcode, he can come find me and we’ll do it in my garden. I don’t care. As long as he’s there, get your belt, let’s put it on.
“That’s been the goal for many years, that’s what I wanted and that’s the objective. We’re there.”
“It’s a weird thing to say, but one of the generational talents, one of the best to do it and with all the marbles. I couldn’t ask for anything more, there’s nothing more I could want in the game.
“Like everything that has brought me here, I’ve always just asked for opportunity. And I’ve got it.
“I’m not planning on stopping here. I’m not planning on getting in the ring with Usyk and rolling around. I don’t want that. When that bell rings, for me and Usyk to finally get in the ring, he’s going to have to work for it.”
Referee Foster’s decision to stop the fight in the 11th round sparked social-media controversy, but Parker landed only three punches compared to Wardley’s 26 attempts in the explosive round.
“I’m just riding the wave. Look, it’s been a wild ride, a wild ride and it’s nowhere near over yet. I’ve still got a lot to do, a lot to achieve in the game and there’s still a lot more to do,” Wardle insisted.
Parker was generous in the matter of defeat.
“Congratulations to Fabio Wardley for a tough fight,” he said. “A fighter, at the end of the fight, I thought I was OK, but I’m not a referee.
“Of course, I wanted to move on.
“Listen, it sucks. Losing battles sucks. I won’t pretend I’m happy, but life goes on.”