The Kiwi heavyweight has been stopped in the 11th round by English fighter Fabio Wardley.
Joseph Parker took a gamble and paid the price, having scaled back up the heavyweight mountain, only to slip against a British knockout machine.
Parker was finished by TKO in round eleven at the hands of Fabio Wardley at the O2 Arena.
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, Wardley needed a miracle and found it in the form of a hail Mary right hook which sent Parker rocking.
Fabio Wardley TKOs Joseph Parker.
Author's summary: Parker's dreams of gold are over.