Timothy Bradley: “The referee saved Parker”

Former world champion and current boxing analyst Timothy Bradley weighed in on the referee’s decision to stop the fight between Joseph Parker and interim WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley.

“The referee saved Parker. Parker’s mouthguard flew out, hit the floor, and the referee didn’t hurry — he picked it up, walked to the corner, handed it to the corner man, they rinsed it, and only then put it back in.

In that moment, Wardley lost his advantage. The referee gave Parker about ten seconds to recover, to get his legs back. The referee should’ve just picked up the mouthguard and put it straight back in. But instead, he took away crucial seconds.

Parker was seriously hurt,” Bradley said.

On October 25, Fabio Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KO) defeated Joseph Parker (36-4, 24 KO) by technical knockout in the 11th round after a prolonged offensive, prompting the referee to stop the bout.