Parker took a gamble, and paid the price.
The Kiwi heavyweight was stopped by TKO in the 11th round by Wardley.
Having scaled back up the heavyweight mountain and with the summit in sight, Parker has slipped against a British knockout machine.
With a win all but guaranteeing him a shot at the undisputed champion, Parker's dreams of undisputed gold appear to be over.
It was an absolute war between the two warriors, each finding success and near finishes across eleven brutal rounds.
With Parker ahead on the scorecards however, Wardley needed a miracle and found it in the form of a Hail Mary right hook which sent Parker rocking.
Pressed against the ropes, Wardley relentlessly barraged Parker, and while no follow-ups landed flush, enough had been 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 the division king, Oleksandr Usyk.
As for Parker, it will be a long climb back to the top.
