Fabio Wardley’s destructive power was on full display in shock upset win over Joseph Parker

Fabio Wardley was behind on the scorecards heading into round eleven

Fabio Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KO’s) now has the opportunity to cap off his fairytale rise through the heavyweight division with a showdown against heavyweight ruler Oleksandr Usyk for all the marbles.

Saturday night's clash will prove to be a final eliminator for a shot at the undisputed championship, with Wardley behind on the cards before finding an incredible 11th-round stoppage to clinch the WBO 'interim' title.

New Zealand native Joseph Parker (36-4, 24 KO’s) boxed fantastically well, stifling the majority of the Ipswich fighter’s offensive attempts, though his hard work ended up futile with the ref waiving off the contest midway through the penultimate round.

Parker's downfall started in round 10, when an expertly timed right uppercut stunned the New Zealander shortly before the round ended.

While the 34-year-old looked to have recovered well, issues clearly persisted as he was hunted down by the Briton in the 11th.

The stoppage has proven to be controversial, with many feeling that the stoppage came early. However, with over a minute still to spare in the round, it looked unlikely that the former world champion would have survived to the bell. 

Speaking after the bout, the victorious Fabio Wardley believes he has now cemented his worth at the top of the heavyweight division.

"I said all the way through this build-up that we picked Joseph Parker because I believe I'm at the top and I proved I'm at the top," said Wardley.

"All credit to Joseph, he can't get enough respect and he deserves all the respect from the boxing community. He took a chance when he didn't have to, and we knew he wasn't going anywhere quickly. We had to pick our spots and eventually we got them out of there."

Following the success, he now finds himself as the new WBO mandatory challenger, meaning a showdown with Usyk is all but guaranteed. 

“Usyk said he wants to do it, so that's what it will be. It's a 36-minute fight, and it only takes one second from him,” promoter Frank Warren told DAZN.