Joseph Parker, a 34-year-old former world heavyweight champion from New Zealand, has been cleared to fight again after his provisional suspension for testing positive for cocaine was lifted. The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) tested him on October 25, the same day he lost a match to Fabio Wardley at London's O2 Arena. Parker has denied knowingly taking any banned substances and is expected to return to the ring soon. He holds a professional record of 36 wins and four defeats, including being WBO heavyweight champion from 2016 to 2018.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-21,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Former world heavyweight champion Joseph Parker, a 34-year-old New Zealander, has been cleared to fight again after his provisional suspension for testing positive for cocaine was lifted. The suspension, which could have lasted up to two years, was put in place after Parker tested positive on October 25th at the O2 Arena in London, where he had just been beaten by Fabio Wardley. Parker denies knowingly taking any banned substances and claims his record of 36 wins and four defeats remains intact. He held the WBO heavyweight title from 2016 to 2018 before losing it. Parker's provisional suspension was lifted, but the UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) agency will conduct its own investigation into the matter.
Written for “Joseph Parker Boxing Clearance” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The language used to report Parker's suspension is neutral, but a slightly positive tone is evident in the description of his reaction ('I'm pleased') and the focus on his plans to return to fighting.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score +0.20 for article 471 · logged 2026-08-05
- Published
Former world heavyweight champion Joseph Parker has been cleared to fight again after his provisional suspension for testing positive for cocaine was lifted.
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suspension → publish → cocaine
The 34-year-old New Zealander was tested by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) on 25 October.
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Zealander → test → October
On the same day, he was beaten by Britain's Fabio Wardley at London's O2 Arena.
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he → beat → Arena
"I'm pleased to confirm my provisional suspension is lifted and I'll be back in the ring soon," Parker said on Wednesday.
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Parker → confirm → Wednesday
"I've been advised to say no more for now while details are finalised.
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details → advise → more
Parker has denied knowingly taking any banned substances.
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Parker → deny → substances
He had faced the possibility of a ban of up to two years, with any sanction to be determined by UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC).
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sanction → face → Control
The BBBoC confirmed to BBC Sport that Parker's provisional suspension has been lifted but said it "cannot make any further comment at this stage".
BBC Sport has also contacted Ukad, which did not oversee the original test and would need to carry out its own investigation.
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which → confirm → investigation
Parker holds a professional record of 36 wins and four defeats.
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Parker → hold → wins
He was WBO heavyweight champion from 2016 to 2018 before losing the title to Britain's Anthony Joshua in Cardiff.
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He → lose → Cardiff
