Joseph Parker's career resurgence has been the feel-good story of the heavyweight division over recent years.
After a punishing 11th-round knockout loss to Joe Joyce in September 2022, Parker strung together six consecutive victories, including banner wins over Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang and Martin Bakole.
Those successes placed Parker in a prime position to challenge undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk, although those ambitions came crashing down when he lost a thriller to undefeated British knockout artist Fabio Wardley last month.
Parker was stopped on his feet in the 11th round of a hellacious heavyweight slugfest, with Wardley taking his spot as the likely next in line for Usyk.
The 33-year-old New Zealander has never shirked a challenge and pledged to come back, with plenty of potentially huge fights still seemingly in his immediate future.
But shocking news that broke on November 14 could put Parker's future at the top level of the sport in jeopardy.
MORE: Joseph Parker vs. Fabio Wardley full cards results
Joseph Parker tests positive for cocaine: What we know
According to a report by The Sun, Parker tested positive for cocaine on October 25 — the day of his fight with Wardley.
The test was administered by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) and returned traces of the cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine, which typically remains present in urine for around four days. That means Parker is likely to have come into contact with the drug during fight week.
Sun reporter Wally Downes revealed Parker is currently away on holiday and has yet to respond to the revelations. However, the failed test is set to be a hot topic around the weigh-in for Chris Eubank Jr. And Conor Benn's rematch in London on Friday.
Parker will have the chance to have his B sample tested, but those results seldom differ, as the A and B samples are taken from the same specimen.
Queensberry/Leigh Dawney
Parker's promoter Queensberry issued a brief statement confirming Parker had failed a test
It read: "The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) last night informed all required parties that Joseph Parker returned an adverse finding following an anti-doping test conducted on October 25 in relation to his bout with Fabio Wardley.
"While the matter is investigated further, no additional comment will be made at this time."
Will Joseph Parker be banned from boxing
Until Parker responds with his own version of events -- and considering boxing's numerous governing bodies, jurisdictions and drug-testing agencies -- it is hard to be certain how long any ban might be.
Cocaine is included on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of prohibited substances, which means athletes who test positive face a ban of up to four years unless they can prove the rule violation was unrelated to performance, in which case a two-year ban applies.
In its revised anti-doping code, which came into effect in 2021, WADA classified cocaine among its “substances of abuse.” If an athlete tests positive out of competition for such a substance, their ban is a maximum of three months.
Given the timing of Parker's positive test in relation to the Wardley fight, it would be difficult to argue that this is an instance of out-of-competition use.
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Joseph Parker boxing record, titles won
Parker's career record stands at 36 wins and four defeats, with 24 of those wins coming via knockout.
He is a former WBO heavyweight champion. Parker won the vacant belt with a majority decision win over Andy Ruiz in December 2016.
He defended the belt twice before dropping a unanimous decision to Anthony Joshua in Cardiff in March 2018.