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Boxing fans have branded the sport 'corrupt' over Fabio Wardley's stoppage of Joseph Parker - and even experts are questioning its validity. Wardley won the fight of his life at the O2 Arena on Saturday night to set up a clash with Oleksandry Usyk to become the unified heavyweight champion of the world. He is the new WBO interim title holder after his clash was stopped in the 11th round, with referee Howard Foster believing Parker could not carry on after a flurry of blows. Parker afterwards said he had felt fine and the scorecards actually had the fight in his favour, with one putting him six rounds ahead, another two, while one had it as a draw. None of this is to take credit away from Wardley, 30. He was still fighting white-collar bouts in Ipswich when Parker was lifting a world title. Now he is undefeated in 21 fights as a professional and aiming to overthrow one of the greatest of all time. His rise has been remarkable. But Carl Froch is one of those who feels his dust-up with Parker was stopped early - potentially denying the Brit of a more convincing win than a technical knockout. 'The problem is, a right hand, then a left hook, then a right hand - and all three shots really missed when Fabio was putting it on him,' he said in his Froch on Fighting show. 'Fabio had almost punched himself out. He was knackered, absolutely knackered. 'Parker leans back on the ropes, guard up. Three big wings from Fabio, they're not impressive wings. If you're the referee stood this side, you're thinking they're big, heavy, dangerous shots. But if you look, they don't land clean, do they? Nothing lands. 'The ref jumps in too early. He was tired. He may have just robbed Fabio Wardley there of a great stoppage. Fabio Wardley may have just got the finish.' Wardley fell to the canvas as soon as the referee stopped the bout, partly out of exhaustion and partly out of relief. Ariel Helwani, a combat sports journalist, had a similar take to Froch but worded it stronger. 'Absurd stoppage,' he said on X. 'Per the broadcast, Parker was up six rounds, two rounds and even. Was Wardley pouring it on? Yes. But both men were having moments. No knockdowns. A fighter of Parker’s caliber deserved WAY more time.' He added: 'That’s an awful stoppage. I’m sorry. Wardley was pouring it on, yes, but Parker was still in it. Parker was ahead on the cards by six rounds and another two and another had it 5-5. Nope. Don’t agree!' Thanks to his win, Wardley has secured mandatory challenger status for the WBO title currently held by Usyk, who also reigns as the unified and Ring Magazine heavyweight champion. Under the governing bodies' system, the WBO is next in line to call a mandatory defence. That order was originally issued in July, but plans were pushed back following Usyk's back injury. There had been speculation that Usyk might vacate his titles to pursue a third fight with Anthony Joshua or a showdown with Tyson Fury. However, Queensberry promoter Frank Warren has dismissed those suggestions and stated he will fight Wardley next. As it stands, Usyk is expected to return to action in the first half of 2026 and Wardley - speaking to Daily Mail Sport after Saturday's bout - has stated he is ready to 'shock' the Ukrainian champion. But fans could scarcely believe that the fight against Parker was stopped in the manner that it was. 'Boxing will always be corrupt. Why did the ref stop that?' one wrote on X. 'Boxing is so corrupt it’s unreal,' another said. 'That was such a bad stoppage from the ref. The more I see it the more it’s a disgrace. Boxing is so corrupt,' one said. Another wrote: 'British boxing has always been questionable. No one should fight a Brit in this country ever again. Everything about it is corrupt, from refereeing to biased commentary. Good fight between Joseph Parker and Fabio Wardley but Parker should’ve been given a chance.' Parker, as you would expect, insisted he could have carried on. He said in the aftermath: 'I didn't feel like it [should have been stopped]. 'The ref stopped the fight, I felt like I could keep going on, he saw enough, but I have to accept the result. 'Two shots hurt me, but I was still aware and wanted to carry on.
