Joseph Parker Tests Positive for Cocaine After Wardley Defeat

Joseph Parker, the former heavyweight world champion from New Zealand, has tested positive for cocaine following his defeat to Britain's Fabio Wardley last month, casting uncertainty over his boxing career.

The 33-year-old Parker underwent a drug test administered by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency on October 25, the day of the bout at London's O2 Arena. According to reports, his A-sample returned positive for benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine. Parker's team has the option to request testing of the B-sample, though such samples typically yield the same results. The substance is not performance-enhancing but remains prohibited under in-competition rules enforced by bodies like UK Anti-Doping and the British Boxing Board of Control. A positive finding could result in a two-year suspension.

The fight, a 12-round contest to determine the next challenger for undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk, ended controversially in the 11th round. Parker held a lead on the scorecards entering the late stages and appeared set to retain his WBO interim title by surviving the final rounds. Wardley, 30, from Ipswich, mounted a furious assault that prompted referee Howard Foster to...