Joseph Parker refutes cocaine finding, awaits anti-doping investigation

Former world heavyweight champion Joseph Parker has insisted he has “never taken a prohibited substance” after returning a positive test for cocaine, Sport360NG reports.

The 33-year-old New Zealander produced the sample for the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) on 25 October, the same day he suffered defeat to Britain’s Fabio Wardley at London’s O2 Arena.

Sources have told BBC Sport that the result relates to a recreational drug rather than a performance-enhancing substance. Parker’s promoter acknowledged on Friday that an “adverse finding” had been reported.

In a statement on Instagram, Parker said he was shocked by the result.
“Before my recent fight, I took a voluntary test and have now been informed it returned an adverse result,” he wrote. “This came as a real surprise to me. I did not take any prohibited substance. I do not use performance-enhancing drugs and do not support their use. I am fully co-operating with the process and I am confident the investigation will clear my name.”

Parker, who has won 36 of his 40 professional bouts, faces the prospect of a suspension that could range from three months to two years, depending on the findings. Any sanction would fall under the jurisdiction of UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC).

Although Ukad would ultimately decide on any punishment, the organisation did not conduct the initial test and will need to carry out its own inquiry.

The BBC has approached both VADA and the BBBC for further comment.

Parker had been seeking to position himself for a future shot at undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk before the loss to Wardley. He previously held the WBO heavyweight title from 2016 to 2018, losing the belt to Anthony Joshua in Cardiff.