đź”— Share this article New Zealand's Joseph Parker Faces Possible Disqualification After Failed Drugs Test The New Zealand heavyweight produced a positive sample as part of a doping test carried out the same day he fought in 11th-round loss to British heavyweight Fabio Wardley. The Fight and Its Stakes The British boxer together with the New Zealander were part of an intense encounter held in London in late October to determine the identity of the next in line for the WBO to unified heavyweight titleholder Oleksandr Usyk. The fighter had positioned himself as next in line to meet Usyk following stringing together an impressive six-fight winning streak, but risked his mandatory challenger status in jeopardy in London and experienced an 11th-round defeat. Failed Examination Plus Implications A standard screening administered to Parker via the anti-doping organization the day of the match returned positive and now leaves the veteran boxer in a difficult position to prove his innocence. The boxer's representatives released a communique stating: "The agency alerted all required parties regarding Joseph Parker returned an adverse finding following a doping test carried out on the 25th October. While the matter is investigated, no more comments are planned for now." Boxing Journey Parker became titleholder six years ago prior to he lost his championship belt by unanimous decision versus British star Joshua at the Millennium Stadium 24 months later. Joseph Parker became an active participant across the United Kingdom since then, fighting eight times in total in Britain and moving to Dublin for training camps with respected coach Andy Lee during this period. Current Situation Under the tutelage of Lee, Parker recovered from the 2022 setback versus Joe Joyce to achieve a string of victories which put him as the top contender to challenge Usyk prior to he was defeated against Wardley. Following the boxer produced an adverse finding during the Wardley bout, allegedly for cocaine, a probe about the test outcome has been started. The boxer returned an adverse finding for a prohibited substance. The examination was administered through Vada on October 25th. Joseph Parker now faces a potential ban from the sport. His promotional team released an announcement acknowledging the adverse finding. An investigation has been ongoing about the situation.