Parker vs Wardley live: Fight start time and undercard results as heavyweights battle to face Usyk and Fury watches on

Parker is 262.6lbs, officially, yet he’s still able to deliver three consecutive jabs with immense speed at the start of the eighth. Wardley’s agility, too, is showcasing the high level on display, swerving the second and evading a third with his feet.

You can almost feel the shots from ringside, Wardley now bouncing between breaks and crouching as he launches a fresh assault.

This one is in the balance according to everyone I’ve spoken to ringside.

Just as it appeared Parker was getting into the grove, setting the tone and pace of the contest, Wardley rediscovers the jab.

He’s controlled the centre of the ring in the eighth.

The first six rounds have taken its toil on both men, but neither is backing down.

Wardley rolled well with a big Parker right, minimising the damage, but you get the feeling the challenger would love to get back to trading big shots with the champion.

Parker feeling out Wardley with the left before landing big rights in round six.

Wardley attempts a combination of his own, and even lands a nice right uppercut, but right now Parker will be the happier of the two fighters.

After being outboxed back in June by Justis Huni, Wardley has done well to keep Parker at bay from a scoring perspective.

However, that fifth round was far more controlled from Parker, with Wardley unable to drag his opponent into another shootout.

Both men are exhausted and leaning on their jabs to expose their opponent. They’re dripping in sweat and using their skills to find the solutions before trading when one commits to a combination, writes Jack Rathborn from ringside.

Parker just winked as he returned to his corner, this is gruelling stuff, but what a contest so far.

Wardley showing a more versatile, rounded version of himself and holding his own.

The pace of this fight has not varied too much. Just when Parker starts to turn the screw, Wardley roars back with punches of his own.

Neither fighter shying away from the challenge in front of them.

This is heavyweight boxing at its best so far.

Wardley throws a right that grazes Parker’s chin; any higher and we might have seen the Kiwi on the floor.

Neither fighter is having it their own way – but Parker is not being allowed to outbox Wardley, who has learned his lesson from his near-defeat to Justis Huni.

This is a gripping contest through three rounds, Wardley is swerving and slipping shots beautifully.

But the margins are so small, the sweat is spraying off both men’s gloves.

Parker is not afraid to load up, despite his smart boxing skills and tidy jab. The champion is up 2-1 on my scorecard.