Joseph Parker denies taking ‘any prohibited substance’ after failing drugs test

Joseph Parker has denied taking a prohibited substance after he failed a drugs test on the day of his 11th-round stoppage to British heavyweight Fabio Wardley, expressing confidence an investigation would clear his name. 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. Related: Anthony Joshua set to face Jake Paul in December heavyweight bout 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.” On Saturday, Parker said in a statement on Instagram: “Before my recent fight I took a voluntary test and have now been informed that it returned an adverse result. 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 cooperating fully with the process now underway, and I am confident the investigation will clear my name. When the investigation is complete, I will speak openly and answer questions.” 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.