JOSEPH PARKER failed a drugs test for cocaine on the day of his Fabio Wardley war.
The 33-year-old New Zealand heavyweight and father of six was tested by the Voluntary Anti Doping Agency on October 25.
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Joseph Parker tested positive for cocaine in his system on the day of his fight against Fabio WardleyCredit: Getty
Wardley stopped Parker in the 11th round of their fight in OctoberCredit: Getty
And the adverse analytical finding was revealed on Friday morning.
Team Parker has the opportunity to have the B-sample tested.
However in the vast majority of cases, the A and B sample results are identical.
Parker explained that for his whole camp he had his wife and children in Ireland and London with him, making an encounter with the party drug seem even more surprising.
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Cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine traces usually remain in urine for around four days, meaning Parker must have contracted the drug in the crucial fight week build-up.
SunSport attended the Thursday Greenwich press conference where Parker took the stage with the Ipswich hero.
The media proceedings were cordial and Parker seemed settled.
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However, Wardley stayed back to host dozens of individual interviews after Parker vanished without conducting any.
SunSport understands Parker is currently on holiday after the gruelling 11-round clash.
A stunned source close to the camp told SunSport: “I am absolutely shocked.
“This has been the first camp where Joe has all of his family around.
“The camp had gone great and he put on a good performance in a great fight.”
The VADA will now hand their findings over to UKAD and the British Boxing Board of Control who police and punish doping in tandem.
Parker could face a two-year ban, even though cocaine is a recreational drug and not a performance enhancing drug or PED.
What is cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine?
Benzoylecgonine is the main inactive metabolite of cocaine.
Here’s a simple breakdown of what that means and why it’s significant:
- What is a “Metabolite”? When you ingest a drug like cocaine, your body (primarily your liver) breaks it down into other substances. These new substances are called metabolites.
- Benzoylecgonine’s Role: Benzoylecgonine is the specific substance that cocaine is converted into as it’s processed by the body.
- Why It’s Important (Drug Testing): This is the key point. The “high” from cocaine is short-lived because the active cocaine is cleared from the bloodstream very quickly (within a few hours).
- However, the benzoylecgonine metabolite stays in the body for much longer—it can be detected in urine for several days (or even longer in heavy users) after the cocaine was last used.
For this reason, standard drug tests (like urine, blood, or hair tests) almost never look for cocaine itself; they look for benzoylecgonine. Its presence is the definitive proof that a person has recently used cocaine.
He previously missed a World Boxing Council imposed drug test because of a holiday in 2017.
His promoter at the time, Duco Events, confirmed he missed the test after his win over Romanian Razvan Cojanu in May due to the break.
Duco Events said: “Joseph extended his holiday following the Cojanu bout on May 6 and didn’t update the Vada system of his change of plans.
“A couple of weeks ago drug testers went to his residence in Las Vegas and he had said he was going to be in camp there but he had changed his plans and was in Samoa at the time.
“There is no hiding it’s an oversight.”
SunSport has approached Parker’s team and Frank Warren for comment.
Parker previously lost the WBO world heavyweight title when he fought Anthony Joshua in March 2018.
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The Auckland-born boxer is also close friends with Tyson Fury.
His overall fight record is 36 wins with 24 KOs and four defeats.
A source told SunSport of their shock over the revelationCredit: Getty
Joseph Parker previously fought Anthony JoshuaCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Parker is also good friends with Tyson FuryCredit: Reuters
