John Fury says the referee, Howard Foster, stopped the Joseph Parker vs. Fabio Wardley fight “10 seconds too late” in round 11 last Saturday night at the O2 Arena in London, England.
“Ten Seconds Too Late” Fury Erupts
Fury, the father of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, states that Parker (36-4, 24 KOs) was taking “unnecessary punches” by the powerful Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) after being badly hurt in the 11th round.
It was obvious to many boxing fans that Parker, 33, wasn’t going to be able to survive the 1 minute and 6 seconds in round 11. There was too much time left, Parker wasn’t throwing any punches back in his defense, and Wardley was raining shots on him.
Parker’s Painful Final Round
Parker was in bad shape when he came out for round 11 after being stunned late in round 10 by Wardley. In the 1 minute and 54 seconds of round 11, Parker threw only seven punches, landing just two before the referee halted the contest at the 1:54 mark. There was nothing coming back from the New Zealer for the referee Foster to allow it to continue. In contrast, Wardley threw 52 punches, landing 26 of them in round 11. The fight had become a massacre by that point, and Parker needed saving.
“Joseph Parker is going to come back stronger. Big Gypsy Joe will be back as he is only 33 years young. I know that. Comiserations to my brother,” said Tyson Fury on Instagram, reacting to his friend, Joseph Parker, getting knocked out by Fabio Wardley last Saturday night.
Fury is right. Parker can come back, but he needs to be selective in the opposition he faces. Staying away from Wardley, Moses Itauma, and Agit Kabayel would be a wise move. However, at 33, he’s got to take risks for him to claw his way back into world title contention. He can’t do that by fighting soft jobs for the next three to five years.
Was Foster’s Timing Off Again?
“Whoever said that stoppage was a little bit early wants locking up and licenses taken off of them,” said John Fury to iFL TV, reacting to the controversy over the referee Howard Foster stopping the contest in the 11th round after Fabio Wardley hurt Joseph Parker.
“For my money, it was 10 seconds too late because Joe was taking unnecessary punches off a man that can knock a wall down with either hand in Fabio Wardley,” said John Fury.
The Ten-Second Controversy
The final sequence of the 11th round was a repeat of what had transpired in round two. Parker was saved in that situation after losing his mouthpiece and being given a 10-second timeout. It was a questionable move on the referee’s part to stop the action, given that Parker was in a dire situation —badly stunned and taking nonstop punches from Wardley.
In such instances, referees typically allow the sequence to play out rather than stopping the action when a fighter is on the brink of being knocked out. Understandably, Wardley was unhappy after the fight when the referee called a timeout in the second round.
Last Updated on 10/26/2025
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