Former WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker has had his provisional suspension lifted after testing positive for cocaine, clearing him to resume his boxing career. The New Zealander was tested by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association on 25 October, the same day he lost to Britain's Fabio Wardley at London's O2 Arena, and had faced a possible two-year ban.

Parker, 34, has denied knowingly taking any banned substances and said he had been advised not to comment further while details are finalised. The British Boxing Board of Control confirmed the suspension had been lifted but declined to comment further, while UK Anti-Doping, which did not conduct the original test, would need to carry out its own investigation. Parker, who won the WBO title in 2016 before losing it to Anthony Joshua in 2018, holds a professional record of 36 wins and four defeats.