Joseph Parker, the former WBO heavyweight champion from New Zealand, could be banned for up to two years after a Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) test taken on the day of his October 25 loss to Fabio Wardley revealed traces of cocaine.
The 33-year-old, who entered the bout on a six-fight win streak and as WBO interim champion, was leading on all three scorecards before being stopped in the 11th round at the O2 Arena.
The result elevated Wardley to mandatory challenger for Oleksandr Usyk’s undisputed title. Now, the entire outcome, and Parker’s career, hangs in the balance.
On October 24, Parker passed a VADA urine test. The following day, fight day, a second VADA sample collected hours before the first bell returned positive for benzoylecgonine, the primary metabolite of cocaine.
On October 26, VADA notified Parker’s team, promoter Queensberry Promotions, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC), and UK Anti-Doping (UKAD). UKAD’s own fight-night sample and Parker’s B-sample analysis remain pending.
Queensberry issued a brief statement: “Joseph Parker has been notified of an adverse analytical finding from a test conducted on October 25. The matter is under investigation. No further comment will be made.” Parker, currently on a family holiday, has not responded publicly.
Under the 2021 WADA Code, cocaine detected in-competition, defined as the 12-hour window before a bout, carries a presumptive two-year ban.
Mitigating factors, such as proof of recreational use unrelated to performance, can reduce it, but rarely below six months in boxing. In 2019, Liam Cameron received four years for benzoylecgonine.
In 2022, Jarrell Miller got two years on his second offence. In 2024, rugby league player Adam Rusling received three months for out-of-competition use under substance-of-abuse leniency. The BBBoC will decide the final sanction after UKAD completes its review.
Parker’s résumé before the Wardley fight was a masterclass in reinvention. In March 2016 he won the WBO belt with a unanimous decision over Andy Ruiz Jr.
In March 2018 he lost it by unanimous decision to Anthony Joshua. In September 2022 he suffered a career low with an 11th-round knockout loss to Joe Joyce.
In December 2023 he beat Deontay Wilder by unanimous decision. In March 2025 he captured the WBO Interim title with a third-round knockout of Zhilei Zhang.
In August 2025 he stopped Martin Bakole in the first round on short notice after Daniel Dubois withdrew. In October 2025 he lost to Fabio Wardley by 11th-round TKO, the same day he tested positive.