Fabio Wardley pulls off a huge upset to wreck Joseph Parker’s dreams of becoming a two-time world heavyweight champion and put himself in position for a shot at undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk.
READ MORE: GB’s Wardley stops Parker in huge heavyweight upset
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Tom Aspinall’s first defence of his undisputed heavyweight title ended in bitter disappointment after an accidental eye poke from Ciryl Gane left the Briton unable to continue at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi.
At the end of a competitive first round, France’s Gane poked Aspinall in both eyes while attempting a punch, with the referee stopping the contest.
Aspinall, 32, could be seen telling the doctor “I can’t see” as he held a cloth to his eye, and with the Briton unable to fight on the referee deemed the bout a no-contest.
The result meant Aspinall retained his title – but not in the way he wanted to and he showed his frustration in his post-fight interview as the crowd booed the outcome.
“Guys, I just got poked knuckle deep in the eyeball. Why are you booing? I can’t see,” said a crestfallen Aspinall.
“The fight was just getting going. I can hardly open my eye. Look! It was a double eye poke.”
Aspinall was taken to hospital after the fight and did not appear for the post-fight news conference.
Calling the fight a no-contest means the referee deemed the foul accidental rather than intentional, which would have resulted in a disqualification.
A disqualification would have gone down as a win for Aspinall.
Gane was equally annoyed at the outcome and could be seen pacing around the edge of the octagon, shaking his head, as the result was announced.
“I feel sorry. I’m sorry for the crowd, for the fans, I’m sorry for Tom Aspinall and sorry for myself,” said Gane.
“We put a lot of energy in this fight so I’m disappointed, but this is the sport, this is life.
“I don’t know what is going to happen for the future, but we will see.”
It was a who’s who of the British heavyweight scene in the arena with Tyson Fury, Daniel Dubois, Moses Itauma, Derek Chisora and Dillian Whyte among the onlookers.
Usyk was not here, but he was the man this bout was all for.
Wardley walked to the ring decked out in Ipswich Town colours with the football club’s crest emblazoned on his kit.
He spoke in the build-up how it was remarkable that when Parker was winning the WBO heavyweight title in 2016, he was only competing in white-collar boxing.
Yet here he was on the same stage as the veteran Kiwi in a fight to determine the next challenger for Usyk, the greatest heavyweight of this era.
With Lee in his corner, Parker was a red-hot run coming into this bout of six wins including victories over the likes of Zhilei Zhang, Deontay Wilder and Martin Bakole.
As cries of ‘Oh Fabio Wardley’ rang around the arena, Parker established control with a ramrod of a jab that soon brought blood from the bridge of the Ipswich fighter’s nose.
The finish to the first three minutes was emphatic from the favourite as Parker powered through with a rocket of a right hand.
Parker’s control vanished when a right hand from Wardley rocked him in the second.
It would be a precursor to what would follow later in the fight. It was a beautiful shot and brought those ringside to their feet as the New Zealander looked unsteady on his.
The experience of Parker, in his 40th professional fight, looked like it was going to be crucial here. Wardley was always dangerous, but Parker was landing the better shots through the middle rounds.
The Kiwi’s left uppercuts to the body and right hands over the top were a particular highlight, but Wardley’s own backhand remained a threat.
The fight appeared to be fizzling out in the eighth before it burst back into life and swung firmly back in Wardley’s favour in the 10th.
He ensured his stunning story would get another chapter against Usyk when he swarmed Parker in the 11th with a barrage of shots which forced Foster to step in.
It may have been early but Wardley will argue that Parker was taking significant punishment.
British heavyweight Moses Itauma has been told he must “wait his turn” after Kubrat Pulev agreed to defend his WBA ‘regular’ title against Murat Gassiev in Dubai on 12 December.
Pulev, 44, was ordered to defend his secondary WBA belt against 20-year-old Itauma but has agreed to face former cruiserweight world champion Gassiev instead.
Queensberry’s Frank Warren, who promotes Itauma, said earlier this week that his team were “pursuing” a fight with the Bulgarian.
But Pulev’s promoter Ivaylo Gotzev, who is the CEO of Epic Sports and Entertainment, said the WBA has agreed to let the veteran make a voluntary defence.
“The Pulev vs Gassiev fight is signed, sealed, and confirmed – so [Moses] Itauma will have to wait his turn,” said Gotzev.
“We have an official WBA resolution authorising Kubrat Pulev’s first title defence to be a voluntary, and in line with that, we’ve locked in a terrific opponent in Murat Gassiev.”
Moses Itauma’s promoter Frank Warren says his heavyweight is happy to fight Kubrat Pulev next after the match-up was ordered by the WBA.
Pulev, the WBA’s ‘Regular’ champion, was ordered to defend his belt against the 20-year-old rising star.
Team Itauma has been considering a fight for the Englishman in December, with Derek Chisora suggesting he would share a card with Itauma on 13 December in Manchester.
“We’ve had several top heavyweights already turn down a fight with Moses but if Pulev fancies the job now that it’s been ordered we will absolutely be pursuing it. It’s a brilliant fight,” Warren told BBC Sport.
Itauma last fought in August when he blew former world title challenger Dillian Whyte away in one round.
The result improved Itauma’s undefeated record to 13 fights and eleven knockouts.
Itauma has since been linked with a slew of potential opponents including Filip Hrgovic, Michael Hunter and domestic rival David Adeleye.
Warren is keen to give Itauma more rounds as the youngster only has 26 rounds under his belt so far.
Pulev is a veteran of the sport at the age of 44, with 35 fights on his record.
The Bulgarian has twice challenged for world titles, losing to Anthony Joshua in 2020 and Wladimir Klitschko in 2014.
Queensberry boss Warren has cooled talk of an imminent fight with the likes of Oleksandr Usyk, but says Itauma “is already one of the best heavyweights in world boxing”.
“Our job is to make the right fights for him at the right time,” Warren said.
“I’ve been in boxing 47 years and at his age, 20 years of age, he is the best young talent at that age that I’ve ever been involved with, and I’ve been involved with 99% of the top British fighters and other fighters from around the world.”
While there are no confirmed reports – it appears as though there will NOT be a rematch clause in the contract between Itauma and Whyte.
With Itauma aged 20 and Whyte 17 years older, they are at opposite ends of their careers.
Itauma will be hoping to push forwards into the title scene with a victory, and Whyte will be looking to prove he still belongs at the top, so a rematch may not be on the agenda for either fighter.
SunSport will keep you updated if and when a rematch clause is confirmed in the contract between the pair.
Dillian Whyte rocked up to Riyadh 17lb lighter than his last bout and 1lb lighter than the rival almost half his age.
But he vowed to unload the heavy artillery inside the ring, after a very tame build-up from the reformed Brixton bad boy.
“Things have gone good,” he said about his dramatic weight loss. “That’s it. He was saying stuff at the press conference and I just him told him to relax, take it easy and chill out.
“He asked me to take my glasses off and today I came in with no glasses. I’m a chilled guy until people mess me about.
“I don’t need to be a bully. I can just switch like that, when I need to.”
Moses Itauma saw a ‘wounded animal’ in the eyes of super-skinny Dillian Whyte.
Whyte stunned the crowd with a six pack and 244lb of muscle, Itauma got to see his pupils and he reckons he spotted prey.
At 245lb he growled: “I saw a wounded animal. I’m not looking for the knockout but if it happens, it happens.”
Frank Warren reckons Moses Itauma is so calm and calculated that even the Planet’s Baddest Man might struggle to scare him.
The 73-year-old Hall-of-Famer told SunSport: “Mike Tyson, in the early days, won 90 per cent of his fights outside the ring.
“The intimidation was unbelievable. I mean, he really intimidated people.
“Most of the American heavyweight guys back then were from the streets but that’s what he managed to do with a lot of them.
“There were a rare couple of fighters he couldn’t intimidate, like Buster Douglas.
“And he couldn’t intimidate Evander Holyfield in any way, shape or form.
“And I think, with Moses, I think you have a hard job to intimidate him.”
LONDON — Oleksandr Usyk disagreed with the idea that he’s become one of boxing’s all-time greats, but the evidence is mounting after his fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
The victory, sealed with a crunching left hook to Dubois’ jaw, made Usyk the undisputed world heavyweight champion for a second time.
The undefeated southpaw retained his WBA, WBC and WBO belts and regained the IBF belt he relinquished just over a year ago.
The bad news for opponents — especially the British ones that he keeps beating — is that the 38-year-old Ukrainian has no plans to stop anytime soon. He said he’s still a “young guy” and named Tyson Fury, Derek Chisora, Anthony Joshua and Joseph Parker as possible next foes. Jake Paul threw his own hat in the ring.
“I will continue boxing and I will continue training, but now I cannot say who my next opponent will be,” Usyk said at his press conference.
“I prepared 3 1/2 months, I’ve not seen my family, my wife. Every day I live with my team — 14 guys in one house. Now I want to go back home.”
Usyk dropped Dubois twice in the fifth — the second time with a lunging left hook midway through the round after Dubois missed with a right. The London native looked stunned on the canvas and couldn’t beat the count before about 90,000 spectators at Wembley.
Usyk, best known as a slick tactician rather than a power puncher, certainly answered questions about his age and whether he’d slow down.
He said that hook is called an “Ivan.”
“Ivan is like a big guy who lives in [the] village and work in (a) farm… it’s a hard, hard punch,” Usyk said.
Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk and Britain’s Daniel Dubois trade punches during an undisputed world heavyweight boxing title fight in London on Saturday.
(Frank Augstein / Associated Press)
Usyk (24-0, 15 KOs) beat Dubois for the second time in under two years and this time there was no low-blow drama. It was a ninth-round stoppage in Poland with, of all things, a straight jab. But the finishing shot Saturday was a no-doubter.
Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs) joined British countrymen Fury and Joshua in having lost twice to Usyk, who was an undisputed world champion as a cruiserweight before he moved up in weight six years ago.
The 27-year-old Dubois’ last fight — also at Wembley — had been a stunning knockout of Joshua last September.
He couldn’t muster the same magic, telling DAZN: “I gave everything I had. Take no credit away from that man, I’ll be back.”
The Briton gave a better showing than two years ago, when Usyk peppered him with jabs and won almost every round. Between the fourth and fifth rounds Saturday, Dubois’ corner was urging him to use a double jab but there was not time to carry out the orders as Usyk ended it shortly thereafter.
Dubois was hoping to become the first British heavyweight to hold every major belt since Lennox Lewis just over 25 years ago.
Dubois had inherited the IBF title that Usyk vacated last year when the Ukrainian chose to focus on his rematch with Fury.
Usyk said flatly “No” in response to whether he thinks he’s one of the sport’s all-time greats.
He said he’s just disciplined.
“I don’t have motivation, I have discipline. Motivation is temporary,” he said.
Usyk said Britain has been like a “second home” to him. He won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics. He dethroned Joshua at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2021.
“I’m very grateful for this country. Thank you so much, you’re the best,” he said.
In 2008 in Liverpool, Usyk was crowned European amateur champion in the light heavyweight category.
In his last fight at the cruiserweight level, Usyk knocked out Liverpool’s Tony Bellew in Manchester. He remains undefeated as a professional and hasn’t lost any bout in 16 years.
Unsurprisingly, Paul had his share of the spotlight Saturday. He was loudly booed during his entrance to the stadium — shown on the big screens.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer told DAZN that a fight against Joshua is “going to happen,” possibly at Wembley.
After the ring cleared out, Paul and Usyk engaged in a brief “stare down.”
Paul posted a message on his social media accounts: “Congrats to one of the greatest heavyweights of all time… I respect you a lot. Now we do an MMA match for the world.”
He added: “First AJ then OU. Book it.”
Frank Bruno was among the VIPs. The London native won the WBC heavyweight belt 30 years ago at the old Wembley Stadium when he beat Oliver McCall. He was knocked out by Mike Tyson six months later.
Usyk entered the stadium with an Eeyore stuffed donkey from the “Winnie the Pooh” books tucked into his jumpsuit. He brought it to past fights as well, apparently given to him by his daughter.
Maguire writes for the Associated Press.
Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk knocks out Daniel Dubois of United Kingdom to unify the heavyweight title belts in London.
Oleksandr Usyk has cemented his status as the outstanding heavyweight of his generation with an emphatic fifth-round knockout of Daniel Dubois in their undisputed world title bout at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Victory on Saturday saw Ukraine’s Usyk extend his unbeaten professional record to 24 fights as the WBA, WBC and WBO champion added his British opponent’s IBF belt to his collection.
Usyk dominated the opening four rounds and early in the fifth, dropped Dubois to the canvas.
Moments later, he finished the fight in decisive fashion after a trademark left hook left his British rival unable to beat the count one minute and 52 seconds into the round.
It was the second time Usyk, at 38, some 11 years older than his opponent, had defeated Dubois after a ninth-round stoppage success in Krakow, Poland, in 2023, where the Briton was ruled to have landed an illegal low blow in the fifth round.
Lennox Lewis, the last British boxer to be the undisputed world champion in 1999, forecast before Saturday’s fight that Usyk would face a vastly-improved Dubois, saying: “Dubois was a baby in the sport and now he’s a man…You’re not going to see the same Daniel Dubois from 18 months ago.”
But after Usyk was roared into the ring by a huge contingent of supporters, many of them waving Ukraine’s national flag in a 90,000 capacity crowd at Wembley, best known as the London base of England’s national football team, it was largely one-way traffic as their hero conducted a ruthless masterclass against local favourite Dubois.
“Thirty-eight is a young guy, remember,” Usyk told DAZN in the ring after dropping to his knees in celebration. “Thirty-eight is only [the] start.
“I want to say thank you to Jesus Christ. I want to say thank you to my team and Wembley, thank you so much! It’s for the people.
“Nothing is next. It’s enough, next, I don’t know. I want to rest. My family, my wife, my children, I want to rest now. Two or three months, I want to just rest.”
Asked about his next opponent, Usyk, who has already twice beaten former world heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, added: “Maybe it’s Tyson Fury.
“Maybe we have three choices, Derek Chisora and Anthony Joshua. Maybe Joseph Parker. Listen, I cannot now say because I want to go back home.”
Dubois insisted he would return to the ring, saying: “I have to commend him [Usyk] on the performance, I gave everything I had. Take no credit away from that man, I’ll be back.”
