Fabio Wardley collapsed in delight after a gruelling and, at times, messy fight that was punctuated with the most thrilling of knockouts. It finally dispatched Joseph Parker in the 11th round to set up a meeting with heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk. A fight that would never have been conceivable years ago, after Wardley emerged from the white-collar scene, only for Dillian Whyte to display vision and pluck him from obscurity.
The stoppage will provoke debates and it is rather unfortunate that the referee was Howard Foster, sparking memories of that controversial first meeting between Carl Froch and George Groves. For now, Wardley won’t care, with this gripping eliminator unfolding after years of Usyk solidifying himself as an untouchable force that has presided over the division. But Parker v Wardley is one of a number of fights beneath him, gradually shifting the tides of a confusing pecking order, with a litany of contenders and hopefuls. Now though, the Ipswich man, the WBO interim world heavyweight champion and still undefeated, defied the repeated onslaughts from a polished Parker to inflict a thudding stoppage just as the 12th round drew near.
