Joseph Parker took a gamble and paid the price.

The Kiwi heavyweight has been stopped in the 11th round by English fighter Fabio Wardley.

After scaling back up the heavyweight mountain and with the summit in sight, Parker has slipped against a British knockout machine.

Parker was finished by TKO in round 11 at the hands of Fabio Wardley at London's O2 Arena on Sunday morning.

With a win all but guaranteeing him a shot at the undisputed champion, Parker's dreams of undisputed gold appear to be over.

The two warriors put on an absolute war, each finding success and near finishes across 11 brutal rounds.

With Parker ahead on the scorecards, Wardley needed a miracle and found it in the form of a 'Hail Mary' right hook that sent Parker rocking.

Pressed against the ropes, Wardley relentlessly barraged Parker and, while no follow-ups landed flush, enough was down and, without Parker answering back, the fight was over.

"I believed I'm at the top, I proved I'm at the top," Wardley said in his post-fight interview, after inevitably calling out division king Oleksandr Usyk.

As for Parker, he faces a long climb back to the top.

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