Overview
- A voluntary VADA urine test taken the day of Parker’s Oct. 25, 2025 loss to Fabio Wardley found benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, which triggered a UKAD investigation and a provisional suspension.
- Parker told investigators that the positive result came from exposure to cocaine used by his employed nutritionist, who admitted using the drug and preparing Parker’s food and drinks before the fight.
- An independent scientific expert told UKAD contamination from food handled by the nutritionist was a plausible explanation but could not exclude the possibility the result reflected the tail end of a larger, pharmacologically active dose.
- UKAD concluded the ingestion occurred out of competition, lifted the provisional suspension on June 22, 2026, proposed a three-month ineligibility period deemed served from Nov. 25, 2025 to Feb. 24, 2026, and Parker accepted that sanction on July 28, 2026.
- The British Boxing Board of Control has confirmed Parker is free to fight and his camp plans returns later in 2026, while officials and promoters consider how the ruling affects fight records and heavyweight matchmaking.