Joseph Parker has said he felt fine and wanted to continue when the referee intervened, but made no excuses after his defeat to Fabio Wardley on Saturday.
Referee Howard Foster stopped the fight in Round 11 with Parker on the ropes and Wardley looking for the knockout, but the New Zealander refused to go down.
The upset win has propelled Wardley into contention for a fight against Oleksandr Usyk, which promoter Frank Warren has said could happen early next year.
Both Parker and Wardley had success through the fight which was fought at a rapid pace, but neither man took a step back with fans witnessing a thrilling heavyweight clash at the O2 Arena.
Foster’s intervention has proved divisive, but Parker did not make excuses after the clash.
“Congratulations to Fabio Wardley for a tough fight, he’s a warrior and at the end of the fight I thought I was fine,” Parker told his post-fight news conference.
“But listen, I’m not the ref, I’m not the one controlling the fight. We both went out there and gave it our best and he won on the night, so he’s the better man.
“I felt fine when they stopped the fight, but I’m not the judge, I’m not the referee to stop the fight or let it go on.”
Parker’s coach Andy Lee, who was in the corner just inches away from the stoppage, said his fighter was still blocking Wardley’s punches.
“Joe was taking a lot of shots, but a lot of them, he was blocking and slipping, but he was taking some [punches],” Lee said.
“There was an opportunity for the fight to be stopped, and he stopped it. Do I think it was fair? It was a battle wasn’t it; it could have been the other way around.
“One punch here or there, it’s the nature of the sport, and in heavyweight boxing that’s the way it is.”
What comes next for Parker — who suffered his fourth defeat — remains to be seen, but he said he still has the desire to continue.
“I still have the fire in me, I still do,” Parker said.
“I guess have to show that in the next one. Otherwise, if it doesn’t go my way again, then be very difficult.”
