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Speaker 1: You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine

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Speaker 1: from News Talks.

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Speaker 2: Ed B Arena in London. These the stunning scenes this morning.

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Speaker 3: Size that shot dead play everyway battles you won. Sorry,

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Speaker 3: that is a syn very savage growling.

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Speaker 2: A fan and baby lolad rage upbeating and Suner.

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Speaker 3: That's the opportunity of challenging for the undescuted Evyweight Championship

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Speaker 3: of the World that was.

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Speaker 2: On design this morning. Joseph Parker beat him this morning

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Speaker 2: in stunning scenes at the Oto Arena in London against

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Speaker 2: Farbio Wardley. This is obviously a vital fight for Parker

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Speaker 2: and Wardley of course, as to whether who was going

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Speaker 2: to get that spot for the world title fight against

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Speaker 2: Alexander Usik and Joseph Parker loses in the eleventh round

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Speaker 2: via TKO. Joining us now from the Go To Arena

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Speaker 2: in London is Liam Napier, who was on the ground. Liam.

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Speaker 2: Thanks for your time afternoon, Elliott. Were you stunned by

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Speaker 2: that result?

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Speaker 4: Well, it's heavyweight boxing. Anything's possible, but there was certainly

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Speaker 4: an upset. Joe Parker was a hot favorite with the

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Speaker 4: bookies and on paper he had all the experience, and

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Speaker 4: he was widely considered to be the superior skilled boxer.

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Speaker 4: But everyone also knew that Fabia Wadley has equalizing power,

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Speaker 4: devastating right hands, and that's ultimately how he got the

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Speaker 4: job done.

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Speaker 2: It felt like Parker and looking at the scoring, at

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Speaker 2: least they were doing undersign with the commentators that Parker

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Speaker 2: was ahead of the game to that point, at least

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Speaker 2: on points lad in the fight was.

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Speaker 5: That's all right? Yes, I think he was well up

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Speaker 5: on all cards, probably four.

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Speaker 4: Maybe even five rounds with the judges. But look, it

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Speaker 4: was a very back and forth contest. Joe came out

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Speaker 4: with a flurry in the first round, but then he

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Speaker 4: was stunned in the second and actually lost his mouth

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Speaker 4: guard which allowed him time to recover. Then I think

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Speaker 4: he dominated largely the middle rounds and then Fabio Wadly

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Speaker 4: Justice he did in his last fight against Australian Justice

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Speaker 4: Hooney rallied late, landed those devastating punches and Joe was stopped.

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Speaker 4: I think it was one minute's fifty odd seconds into

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Speaker 4: the penultimate round too. Yeah, rob him, will not rob

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Speaker 4: him to take away that elusive crack at the undisputed

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Speaker 4: heavyweight king Alexander Usik.

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Speaker 2: Were you surprised by the decision to wave off the fight?

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Speaker 2: Gavin Parker was ahead on points at that point, and

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Speaker 2: there was no eight count. It was basically fights done.

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Speaker 5: Yeah.

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Speaker 4: Look, I think it was an early stoppage. I don't

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Speaker 4: think there's any disputing that.

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Speaker 5: But was on the ropes. He was taking a lot

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Speaker 5: of punishment and he wasn't firing a lot back.

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Speaker 4: I think one of the issues, one of the question

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Speaker 4: marks is Waterley's last little flurry. Probably his last three

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Speaker 4: punches were blocked, they didn't actually connect. Maybe in hindsight,

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Speaker 4: Parker could have should have taken a knee that would

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Speaker 4: have allowed him time to recover, and he was a

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Speaker 4: hit on all the cards, so he still could have

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Speaker 4: won the fights. But I think when you look around

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Speaker 4: the world that there is a bit of an outcry

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Speaker 4: from a lot of noted but boxing pundits and certainly

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Speaker 4: New Zealand fans who felt that stoppage was too early.

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Speaker 2: Have you spoken to the Parker camp, what's their reaction

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Speaker 2: to the defeat.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, I've just emerged from the post fight press conferences,

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Speaker 4: and Parker's obviously very disappointed with the result. He was

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Speaker 4: he credited Fabia Wadley with the victory and committed him

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Speaker 4: on that but he said he felt fine, that he

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Speaker 4: wanted to carry on at the time of the stoppage.

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Speaker 4: So I guess you could say he was disappointed or

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Speaker 4: begrudging of the way the fight finished, but I guess

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Speaker 4: it was taken out of his hands.

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Speaker 2: So we're too now for Joseph Parker. Do you think

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Speaker 2: Liam that was a shot at the undisputed heavyweight World

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Speaker 2: Championship about against Alexander USA. So where does Joseph Parker

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Speaker 2: go now?

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Speaker 4: Look, it is a devastating blow outlet because Parker, over

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Speaker 4: the course of since twenty twenty two, has last loss

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Speaker 4: to Joe Joyce, has gone on a six fight wind streak.

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Speaker 4: He's beaten some of the most vaunted, avoided heavyweights to put.

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Speaker 5: Himself right in the queue for that shot.

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Speaker 4: At Usik, he was undeniably the second best heavyweight on

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Speaker 4: the planet in terms of his status at least and

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Speaker 4: now he really does go back to the pack, and

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Speaker 4: it is a very congest pack. He has one more

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Speaker 4: fight on his contract with Frank Warren and Queensberry Promotions.

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Speaker 4: So and Parker at the press Currant said he still

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Speaker 4: is the hunger and heart and desire to carry on.

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Speaker 4: But he's been in a lot of wars, and he's

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Speaker 4: thirty three years old, and while he's probably in the

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Speaker 4: prime of his career, he also has his faculties and

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Speaker 4: everything to consider. He's got five kids and a wife.

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Speaker 4: So I think he'll have one more fight and depending

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Speaker 4: on that, how that goes will very much determine its future.

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Speaker 4: But it is hard to see him, you know, going

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Speaker 4: back and trying to go on another run to get

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Speaker 4: a second crack at another world title shot.

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Speaker 2: Well, we see what's he going to do? I mean,

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Speaker 2: what's the quality of fighter he's going to have to

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Speaker 2: fight in that next fight to put himself back up there?

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Speaker 2: Can he do it on one fighter line? Or is

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Speaker 2: it back to the bottom of the pack for Joseph Parker.

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Speaker 5: Potentially.

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Speaker 4: I don't think he goes back to the bottom of

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Speaker 4: the pack, won'ty stretch, but it is a big setback.

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Speaker 5: Look, there's a number of desirable fights out there he.

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Speaker 4: From a rematch perspective, there's marketable fights potentially against guys

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Speaker 4: like Joshua Dillian White, a number of those British fighters,

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Speaker 4: Derrek Trasaer he's fought twice before, and that was mentioned

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Speaker 4: of a potential rematch with Wardley at some point. I

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Speaker 4: think it was an amazing fight, back and forth, brilliant,

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Speaker 4: absorbing contest. I think people would love to see it again,

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Speaker 4: but who knows what happens between Wardley and Usik. So

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Speaker 4: for now, Joe, I guess we'll take time to recover

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Speaker 4: and take stock and we will see him again, but

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Speaker 4: it'll probably take him some time to get over this

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Speaker 4: first and foremost and it is a major, major setback

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Speaker 4: for his career.

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Speaker 2: And will we get that Wardley fight after all?

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Speaker 5: I think we will. Yes, there's no one else really.

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Speaker 4: That Usak could fight, and if he doesn't, then he

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Speaker 4: will have to vacate the WBO title. Wardley will probably

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Speaker 4: be elevated straight to champion. Joe was that the interim champion,

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Speaker 4: so he's lost that status. But I think now particularly

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Speaker 4: Wardley's a very exciting fighter and he's someone that people

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Speaker 4: want to see, and I think that fight could easily

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Speaker 4: be put at a stadium like Wembley. Usik he's fought

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Speaker 4: in the UK number of times, so in many ways

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Speaker 4: it's a much easier fight to market than a park

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Speaker 4: of the Usk fight, and Usik has come out and

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Speaker 4: said that he wants to fight on for another couple

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Speaker 4: of years, that he wants to remain undisputed.

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Speaker 5: So if he's a man of his words, he will

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Speaker 5: fight Wardley.

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Speaker 2: Well, it's going to be fascinated to see what happens

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Speaker 2: with both of those fighters. Legham Napier, thanks so much

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Speaker 2: for joining us at early hours of the morning in London.

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Speaker 2: Save travels. We'll see you in Chicago in a few days.

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Speaker 5: Will in the cheers.

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Speaker 2: Elliott, thank you very much, sir Liam Napier joining us

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Speaker 2: on the program this afternoon. He has covered at for

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Speaker 2: the New Zealand Herald as well, and you can view

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Speaker 2: as match report from the Two Arena or the fight

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Speaker 2: report I should say from the Two Arena in London.

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Speaker 1: For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live

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Speaker 1: to News Talks it B weekends from midday or follow

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