Boxing
Tyson Fury backs Joseph Parker and hands Fabio Wardley ringing endorsement ahead of potential Usyk bout
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Tyson Fury has backed his friend Joseph Parker to bounce back from his defeat to Fabio Wardley – who he believes has the power to go on and knock out Oleksandr Usyk.
Parker and Wardley met in a huge clash at London's O2 Arena to decide the next challenger to Usyk's undisputed heavyweight crown.on Saturday night, live on DAZN PPV .
Ipswich native Wardley claimed the WBO 'interim' title when he forced referee Howard Foster to stop the fight in the 11th round as he dominated former world champion Parker, who had been hurt badly in the previous round by a right uppercut.
The British fighter is now the number one challenger for undisputed champion Usyk after his bruising victory over Parker - and Fury said on Instagram: "The fight was amazing.
"Both fighters had a lot of success and I had Joe about four rounds up going into round 11.
"It's heavyweight boxing, you can't go swimming and not get wet and it’s a cliche, he got wet, the referee jumped in after a few unanswered shots and that's all it takes.
"It's one of those things; it's heavyweight boxing, you can get caught and I know all about getting caught.
"Joseph Parker is going to come back stronger, I know that.
"Commiserations to my brother and all the team, everyone did a fantastic job."
With victory, Wardley is now almost certain to take on Usyk in spring of next year.
Fury has experience first hand of how difficult it is to beat the Ukrainian, having fallen to defeat twice last year including in their December 2024 rematch.
But he believes the Ipswich native does have the dynamite punch power that is required to become the first fighter to beat the champion.
He told Boxing King Media: “Usyk is a special talent. He’s a good boxer but Fabio is a dangerous puncher, I’m sure if he hits anybody he’ll knock them out.
"He’s very strong and carries his power for a long time so he did really well against Parker.
“Everyone was saying before this Parker fight that Wardley has had no amateur experience, it means s**t amateur experience.
"George Foreman had 11 amateur fights and won the gold medal, it doesn’t mean anything.
"You’re a big strong man, a big game man, so congratulations to him and his team.”
