Joseph Parker Criticizes Referee In Match Against Fabio Wardley

JAKARTA Joseph Parker issued scathing criticisms at referee Howard Foster who led his fight against Fabio Wardley on the weekend.

Clashes between the two names took place at the O2 Arena, London, England, on Sunday, October 26, 2025. Foster stopped the match in the 11th round and Parker lost.

Parker was disappointed by the decision because he seemed to be able to win. He is also very confident that he can continue the fight, but instead the jury decided to stop the duel.

"I felt fine when the fight was stopped. I wanted to continue the duel, but I'm not the referee," said Parker, quoted by Sky Sport.

Foster also actually acted as a referee leading the first fight between Carl Frog and George Groves. His decision in the duel was also controversial because it was considered to have stopped the match too early.

Parker was leaning on the ring when Foster stopped the game. The New Zealand fighter was seen injured and more importantly he did not retaliate against the opponent's attack at all.

In that situation, Foster probably thought Parker would collapse if the ring didn't hold him so he took the decision to stop the game and give Wardley a win.

Wardley on the other hand, looks from a different point of view. He said Foster should have intervened early to intervene for them before stopping the fight.

"Maybe the referee could have blown the whistle early. My condition is very prime. I know all I have to do is blow," he said.

The victory over Parker makes Wardley now a mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk for the WBO heavyweight belt.

However, Usyk has the option to empty the belt and let Wardley become the real world champion. Usyk has yet to announce plans for a return.

The Ukrainian champion underwent his final duel against Daniel Dubois in July 2025. He won a knockout in the fifth round to become world champion undisputed for the second time.