Joseph Parker failed a drugs test on the day of his 11th-round stoppage to British heavyweight Fabio Wardley.
Ipswich-born Wardley and New Zealander Parker produced a pulsating encounter in London on 25 October to determine who would become WBO mandatory challenger to undisputed world heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Parker had been next in line to face Usyk after putting together an impressive six-fight winning streak, but put his mandatory challenger status on the line in London and suffered an 11th-round stoppage in what could now prove his last fight for a lengthy period of time.
A routine test by Parker given to the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (Vada) on the day of the bout returned positive and leaves the 36-year-old with a battle to prove his innocence.
Parker’s promotional company Queensberry released a statement on Friday morning, which read: “[Vada] last night informed all required parties that Joseph Parker returned an adverse finding following an anti-doping test conducted on the 25th October in relation to his bout with Fabio Wardley. While the matter is investigated further, no additional comment will be made at this time.”
Auckland-born Parker become world champion in 2016 before he lost his WBO belt by unanimous decision to Anthony Joshua at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff two years later. Parker has been a frequent visitor since, fighting eight times in total in the UK and relocating to Dublin for training camps with highly regarded trainer Andy Lee in recent years.
Under the tutelage of Lee, Parker recovered from his 2022 loss to Joe Joyce to chalk up a string of victories which put him front of the queue to face Usyk before he suffered defeat to Wardley. After Parker returned a positive test on the day of the Wardley fight, reportedly for cocaine, an investigation into the findings has been started.
