Joseph Parker’s recent drug ban was caused by “contamination” from his “nutritionist”, UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) has said, after the boxer’s cocaine suspension was lifted this week.
After suffering a controversial stoppage loss to Fabio Wardley in October, traces of cocaine were found in a test given to the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency by Parker.
The test was taken in the hours after Parker’s 11th-round loss at London’s O2 Arena, with which he lost the interim WBO heavyweight belt, but the result was only published in the weeks thereafter.
Parker, 34, denied taking any banned substances and insisted that he does not take performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). Despite cocaine being a recreational drug and not a PED, taking it can lead to a multiple-year ban for a boxer.
Little was shared about the process in Parker’s case, with a ban never publicly confirmed until Wednesday, when the British Boxing Board of Control told the BBC that a provisional suspension had been lifted.
On Wednesday, Parker said: “I’m pleased to confirm my provisional suspension is lifted, and I’ll be back in the ring soon. I’ve been advised to say no more for now while details are finalised. Thank you to all my supporters.”
And Thursday brought another update, as Ukad released a full statement that said the New Zealander tested positive after submitting a urine sample, but that the result stemmed from contamination by Parker’s nutritionist.
“On 6 March 2026, Mr Parker provided Ukad with evidence claiming that the Adverse Analytical Finding was the result of his exposure to cocaine used by the nutritionist he had employed in preparation for the bout on 25 October 2025,” Ukad said.
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“The nutritionist stated that he was a regular user of cocaine and had used cocaine daily in the week leading up to the bout.
“On 22 June 2026, Ukad confirmed to Mr Parker that in light of the opinion from its expert, it was satisfied that any ingestion of cocaine occurred Out-of-Competition and for that reason would have been in a context unrelated to sport performance.
“Consequently, Ukad lifted Mr Parker’s Provisional Suspension on that date (allowing him to resume his participation in sport with immediate effect) and proposed a three-month period of Ineligibility (deemed served) by way of sanction for his Anti-Doping Rule Violation.
“On 28 July 2026, Mr Parker accepted the imposition of a three-month period of Ineligibility, deemed served between 25 November 2025 to 24 February 2026 inclusive (having afforded Mr Parker credit for the time he spent provisionally suspended in accordance with ADR Article 10.13.2(a)).”
Parker’s loss to Wardley was the fourth of his career, and it ended a six-fight win streak for the former world champion.
The Kiwi holds wins over the likes of Deontay Wilder, Derek Chisora, Zhilei Zhang and Martin Bakole, while his previous defeats came at the hands of Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte.
