Parker-Wardley: Five epic heavyweight battles at the O2 Arena

The O2 Arena, since its opening in 2007, has hosted 57 professional boxing events and has become a reliable venue for hosting some of the most memorable bouts on British soil.

In that time, it has become the center of heavyweight action as world champions and hungry challengers ply their trade at the famous venue.

wbo interim heavyweight champion joseph parker and WBA interim champion fabio wardley This is not the first time that a blockbuster show will be presented for the fans to decide who takes the place at the front of the line to face the undisputed champion. oleksandr usyk,

But which other famous heavyweight dust-ups have blessed the canvas in southeast London?

Anthony Joshua vs. Dillian Whyte

In 2015, Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte light up the O2 to decide one of the fiercest British heavyweight rivalries ever seen,

Both were young up-and-comers looking to take a step closer to the world heavyweight scene, but their rivalry extended beyond the professional ranks.

Whyte and Joshua had an amateur face-off, with Whyte emerging victorious and the fight becoming a fan favorite even before the pair entered the ring due to the genuine dislike between the two.

The fight escalated to the level of venom and venom as both men looked to drop as much leather as possible on their opposite man.

Joshua’s Olympic pedigree and more traditional schooling were on display as he troubled Whyte with heavy straight shots early on – showcasing the power that had so far defeated all of his opponents.

The fight almost ended prematurely after the second round when Joshua landed after the bell and a massive brawl broke out in the ring.

Joshua continued to hunt down Whyte and landed a counter left hook himself in the fifth round, causing Joshua to be hurt for the first time in his career and adding fuel to the fire inside the O2 Arena.

But Whyte began to fade and Joshua’s high-level skills took over. In the seventh round, Joshua landed a right hook that landed on Whyte’s leg. He quickly ended the fight with an uppercut that flattened Whyte and declared himself champion in waiting.

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david haye vs tony bellew 2

After an unsatisfactory end to their first blockbuster meeting in 2017, David Haye and Tony Bellew pack the O2 Arena again in 2018 to settle down once and for all,

The older Haye’s Achilles tendon ruptured in the sixth round of their first fight, leaving him vulnerable while fighting on one leg, hoping to land a shot to save him from inevitable defeat.

Bellew wisely remained patient and waited for the stoppage to come in the 11th round, when Haye could no longer maintain his composure due to the heavy punishment and inability to defend himself.

But Bellew knew he could defeat Haye without the aid of injury and agreed to an immediate rematch once Haye had fully recovered a year later.

The genuine hatred and drama that the pair shared for over a year made their rivalry one of the most memorable of the decade.

The second fight promised fireworks, and Bellew delivered.

After a composed start, exchanging jabs and exploratory combinations, the fight came alive in the third round when Bellew dropped Haye with a flush left hook and right hand.

He then dropped him again with a counter right hand on the inside, and Haye was nearly finished at the end of the third.

Bellew’s hand speed and defensive finesse were keeping him safe from an increasingly frustrated Haye, who was struggling to find goals.

Then in the fifth round, as they exchanged explosive combinations, Bellew landed another stunning left hook that put the end of it for Haye, who bravely got to his feet but could not recover, and Bellew launched a fight-ending attack that forced the referee to intervene and save Haye.

Joseph Parker vs. Dillian Whyte

both in 2018 dillian white And Joseph Parker was in the midst of rebuilding his career, with both of them coming together and desperate to get themselves back on the world scene.

Since his loss to Joshua three years ago, Whyte had scored seven wins, including a victory over Dave Allen, dereck chisora And Lucas Browne.

Parker also suffered a defeat at the hands of Joshua, having lost his WBO heavyweight title only four months before the fight with Whyte and taking a huge risk by coming back against a real contender.

Both men knew the stakes and risked everything to remain in the headlines.

Parker looked the more polished boxer that night, but Whyte is most dangerous when he is under fire and in the second round, he caught Parker with a left hook that actually landed more elbow and shoulder than fist, but it was a knockdown score and Parker’s back was now against the wall.

He knew he had to start putting pressure on Whyte and had success in the middle rounds, but perhaps too eager to get close to Whyte, Parker threw a lazy uppercut with his chin high and Whyte landed a flush left hook and dropped Parker again.

The Kiwi recovered well and got back to work but knew Whyte would not be able to hear the final bell if he wanted to walk away with the win.

Then in the dying embers of the 12th round, Parker found the target with a lead right hand that dropped Whyte. He got to his feet and clung desperately to Parker for the remaining 15 seconds. Secured victory by unanimous decision,

Fabio Wardley vs Fraser Clarke

Last year, Wardley and fraser clarkeTwo fighters from completely different boxing backgrounds shared the ring An instant all-British classic that would skyrocket both men’s profiles.

Clarke was an Olympic bronze medalist with nearly 90 amateur bouts who was expected to soon step up and challenge for international honors.

Fabio Wardley was still an unknown quantity, he had only a handful of white-collar fights and zero amateur experience, he had not been tested yet. But he would prove himself even more that night.

As many expected, on fight night, Clark’s amateur background gave him an early advantage, being able to attack from different angles compared to Wardley’s brutal offensive despite his one-dimensional attacks.

But Wardley bit his gumshield and refused to yield. She constantly hunted down Clarke, trying to punish her, and in doing so began to see the benefits of her power.

In the fifth round, when it looked like Clarke was slowing down, Wardley attacked quickly and landed a flurry of combinations, and just as Clarke thought the barrier was gone, Wardley landed a final shot that dropped the Olympian for the first time in his career.

Clark did well to recover and pick up where he left off, producing high quality work throughout the middle rounds before being deducted a point in the seventh for repeated low blows.

The knockdown also forced Clark to focus more on his work, allowing Wardley, who was suffering from a gruesome injury to the bridge of his nose, back into the fight.

They fought until the last seconds and Clark literally collapsed in his corner. The judges scored the contest a split-draw and if Clark had avoided points deductions he would have won the fight.

Joe Joyce vs. Dereck Chisora

2024 was the year of all-British heavyweight showdowns at the O2 Joe Joyce and Dereck Chisora ​​beat each other in ten rounds with caution To the delight of fans inside the venue.

Joyce was attempting to rebuild his career after consecutive knockout losses to Zilei Zhang.

He came off the back of a tough looking knockout win over Kash Ali and felt he was ready to get back out there with the name.

The name was Dereck Chisora, who had lost four of his last six fights, including two fights with Joseph Parker and a bizarre trilogy fight with Tyson Fury.

The overwhelming consensus was that Chisora ​​was one loss away from retiring and that Joyce needed a win to remain in any kind of heavyweight conversation.

The fight started just as it was going to end, with the jab being completely ignored and both men swinging for the fences in search of a definitive victory.

It was a back-and-forth action in which Chisora ​​played rope-a-dope and hoped to land a wild hook to stop the robotic advances of Joyce, whose primary form of defense was his face.

The fight was on a knife edge in the ninth round, with the two swinging viciously at each other before Chisora ​​landed an overhand right, which Joyce himself followed and hit the canvas with, unable to be separated. This would prove to be a decisive moment on the scorecards of two of the three judges.

Chisora ​​won a disappointing unanimous decision and breathed new life into a moribund career.

Watch Parker vs. Wardley live on DAZN

Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley fight to become the WBO mandatory challengers to Oleksandr Usyk on Saturday, October 25. Watch the fights and undercard live and exclusive on DAZN PPV.

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