Tim Bradley says the referee made the right decision by stopping Joseph Parker’s fight against Fabio Wardley in the 11th round after interim WBO heavyweight champion Parker (36-4, 24 KO) suffered an injury at the O2 Arena in London.
(Source: Queensberry/Leigh Dawney)
Mouthpiece moment
Bradley points out that early in the fight, referee Howard Foster saved Parker by stopping the action in the second round to allow him to wash his corner and reattach his mouthpiece after losing it while snowed in by Wardley’s (20-0-1, 19 KO) punches.
Wardley’s knockout window fails
Parker was then mortally wounded with 40 seconds remaining in the round. His condition and the way Wardley was raining blows on him made it clear that he would not have survived had Referee Foster not stopped the action to allow him to reattach his mouthpiece.
Ten seconds passed before the mouthpiece rest, allowing Parker to recover in the final 30 seconds of the round. If not for this, the fight likely would have ended in the second round, with Wardley winning by knockout in the second round.
The analogy of a drowning man
Using the analogy of a drowning man, Bradley states that Judge Foster couldn’t wait for Parker to stop struggling before stepping in to save him before he fell. In nearly two minutes of action in round 11, Parker did just that in total, he landed only seven blows. Wardley landed 52 punches, landing 27.
Parker was physically unresponsive after being injured in the 10th round and was unable to fight in the 11th round. Referee Howard Foster noted the lack of punches from Parker.
Parker’s final seven-punch fight
Going into the 11th round, Joseph looked like he was walking on eggshells, like a doomed man heading towards the guillotine. At this point in the fight, he had nothing left to lose after the punishment he took from Wardley at the end of the 10th round. That’s why it’s not surprising that Parker only landed seven punches when the fight was stopped at 1:54 of round 11. He was too hurt to throw, and all he did was avoid Fabio’s punches.
Bradley’s breakdown
“The referee saved Parker. Parker’s mouthpiece fell off, he fell to the floor and the referee took his time, picked it up and went to the corner. He gave it to the corner, washed it and put it back in his mouth,” Tim Bradley said in his canaltalking about how referee Howard Foster saved Joseph Parker in the second round when he gave him a timeout after he “accidentally” lost his mouthpiece while being drilled non-stop with Fabio Wardley’s post-injury punches.
“He [Wardley] he lost his advantage at this point. He gave it to Parker [10] seconds to recover. A few seconds to bring life back to his body. The referee should have taken that mouthpiece and immediately put it back in his mouth… You’re wasting seconds. This man [Parker] got hurt,” Bradley said.
Mike Tyson has shared his verdict on who he ranks higher between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.
Mayweather and Pacquiao are considered two of the greatest boxing legends in recent history, and their success led to a battle between them at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in May 2015.
Mayweather is now 49 and Pacquiao is 47, both men are well past their prime, and there is often debate among boxing fans as to which man was better than the other during the best years of their careers.
Mayweather retired with a perfect 50-0 record, defeating the likes of Oscar De La Hoya and Canelo Alvarez, while Pacquiao is the only eight-division boxing world champion in history to boast victories over the likes of Juan Manuel Marquez and Miguel Cotto.
Heavyweight icon Tyson once expressed his own opinion on who was the better of the two, ace revealed that he thinks Pacquiao has achieved more.
“Pacquiao is better than Floyd. He overcame adversity. He got knocked out, came back and had some sensational fights against opponents that outperformed any opponent Floyd had fought.”
Before Mayweather faces Pacquiao in a rematch, he is actually scheduled to face Tyson himself, and an event between the pair will take place soon, although it appears it will not take place on the originally announced April 25 date.
Undisputed lithe heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol could pursue a rematch with Canelo Alvarez or a fight with David Benavidez once he finishes his current duties in the division.
Bivol’s manager, Vadim Kornilov, outlined the champion’s preferred path in comments provided by Dan Rafael, explaining that Bivol intends to first pursue a mandatory IBF defense and then return to competing with Artur Beterbiev.
He is expected to have a mandatory defense against Michael Eifert this spring. The fight was scheduled for May 23 at a gala headlined by unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
After fulfilling this obligation, Bivol’s team wants to immediately start the third fight with Beterbiev. Their rivalry produced two closely watched fights, leaving unfinished business between two fighters who have dominated the lithe heavyweight division for the past several years and built one of the most respected rivalries in the sport.
More intriguing possibilities emerge after this trilogy. Rafael reported that Bivola’s camp sees a second fight with Canelo as one of the main options still available to the champion. Bivol defeated Alvarez by unanimous decision in 2022, handing the Mexican star one of the clearest defeats of his career.
Another potential opponent in question is Benavidez, who has moved up to lithe heavyweight and has been seeking a chance to fight the top fighters in the division. The fight between Bivol and Benavidez will pit the undefeated Mexican-American challenger against a champion who currently holds four major division titles.
Kornilov also suggested that Bivol could eventually prove himself at cruiserweight, although such an idea appears to be more of a long-term possibility than an immediate plan for the undefeated champion.
For now, the plan of action remains straightforward: fulfill the IBF mandate against Eifert, complete the trilogy with Beterbiev, and then fight one of the most crucial fights that could decide the final stage of Bivol’s career.
Robert Segal is a boxing reporter at Boxing News 24 with over a decade of experience covering fight news, previews and analysis. Known for his first-hand reporting and in-ring perspective, he delivers authoritative coverage of champions, challengers and emerging talent from around the world.
A fresh twist has been revealed in the story of Jai Opetai and the IBF cruiserweight title.
Last week it was reported that Opetaia was to be stripped of his IBF belt after the opening bell of his planned fight with Brandon Glanton on Sunday at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, due to the fact that the fight was also for Zuffa’s inaugural belt.
After the fight, Opetaia once again shared his desire to become undisputed in the cruiserweight division, and it appears he has been given the opportunity to do just that as – announced the IBF in a statement that they have not yet made a final decision to strip him of the title.
“Jai Opetaia made comments during the post-fight press conference that led the organization’s leadership to question whether his advisors fully and fully made him aware of the decisions he had to make in deciding to fight Brandon Glanton. The organization intends to take a closer look at this matter.”
The statement also included a mighty response to claims that they had decided not to sanction the fight due to feelings of “disrespect” in the run-up to the fight.
“The IBF categorically denies any suggestion or claim that it deliberately withdrew sanctions to cause harm. The IBF sanctioned the Opetaia vs. Glanton fight in good faith, expecting what was assured to happen.”
“The press conference held on March 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada, made it clear that the inaugural Zuffa World Cruiserweight Championship would be held on March 8.
“The IBF, as previously stated on March 6, reserves the right to sanction title fights along with other sanctioning bodies that adhere to the same regulations that the IBF follows, and reserves the right to sanction title fights along with other fights that prepare the IBF cruiserweight title remains a subject of discussion.”
The final outcome as to whether Opetaia will indeed retain her title will be revealed in due course.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.