LONDON: Former heavyweight champion Joseph Parker denied taking any prohibited substance and said his failed drug test from last month’s loss to Fabio Wardley was “a real surprise.”
The New Zealander’s voluntary anti-doping test conducted on the day of the bout returned an adverse finding, promotions company Queensberry announced on Friday.
Wardley stopped Parker in the 11th round at the O2 Arena in London on Oct. 25 in a fight to determine who would become the WBO mandatory challenger to undisputed world champion Oleksandr Usyk.
“Before my recent fight I took a voluntary test and have now been informed that it returned an adverse result. This came as a real surprise to me,” Parker said early Saturday in a statement on Instagram.
“I did not take any prohibited substance, I do not use performance enhancing drugs and do not support their use,” he continued. “I am cooperating fully with the process now underway, and I am confident the investigation will clear my name.”
The 33-year-old Parker faces a potential lengthy ban by the British Boxing Board of Control.
“Thank you to everyone who has sent messages of support. It means a great deal to me and my family,” Parker’s statement added. “When the investigation is complete, I will speak openly and answer questions.”
On Friday, Queensberry said the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association had informed all parties of the adverse finding. The promotions company said it won’t make any other comments “while the matter is investigated further.”
Parker won the WBO title in December 2016 when he beat Andy Ruiz Jr. on a majority decision. He then lost the belt to Anthony Joshua by a unanimous decision in late March 2018 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
Former champion boxer Joseph Parker denies taking ‘any prohibited substance’
https://arab.news/6v92p
Former champion boxer Joseph Parker denies taking ‘any prohibited substance’
- “Before my recent fight I took a voluntary test and have now been informed that it returned an adverse result,” Parker said
- The 33-year-old Parker faces a potential lengthy ban by the British Boxing Board of Control
Inaugural Kidzink Pearl Cup wraps up at Dubai Offshore Club
- Sailors aged 8-18 competed in the Optimist Coached, Optimist, ILCA 4, 29er and RS Feva classes
DUBAI: The inaugural Kidzink Pearl Cup wrapped up in Dubai after welcoming more than 100 youth sailors from 17 countries for one of the Middle East’s first international open youth sailing regattas.
Held from Dec. 15-21 at Dubai Offshore Sailing Club with the support of Dubai Sports Council, the Kidzink Pearl Cup brought together sailors aged 8-18 to compete in the Optimist Coached, Optimist, ILCA 4, 29er and RS Feva classes.
Backed by global educational design company Kidzink as title sponsor and strategic partner, the event combined four days of competitive racing with ideal windy conditions, with three days of Olympic-level coaching delivered by an international coaching team, giving young sailors the chance to train and race in competitive and challenging conditions alongside peers from different countries and sailing cultures.
The young sailors also took part in interactive onshore sessions developed with Kidzink’s research team, with the event putting the focus on leadership, inclusivity and clean-water awareness.
Charlotte Borghesi, founder and general manager of Kidzink, said: “The energy throughout the week was incredible. You could see learning happening in real time, friendships forming on the dock and young sailors growing in confidence every day.
The Kidzink Pearl Cup is about more than racing, it’s about creating an environment where young people feel inspired, supported and excited to learn.”
A two-time world champion sailor herself, Borghesi brings first-hand experience to the event, having made history in 2023 as the first female helmswoman to win the SB20 World Championship, followed by her team’s victory at the SB20 Women’s World Sailing Championship in Singapore in 2025.
Alongside the racing program, sailors took part in Kidzink’s interactive learning sessions. The UAE sessions built on work first piloted at the Kidzink-supported 29er Class European and World Championships earlier this year.
Local talent featured strongly throughout the week, with members of the DOSC racing squad lining up alongside international competitors. Among them were 14-year-old Chloe Montanet and 12-year-old Edward West.
In the Optimist Coached fleet, first place was claimed by Lev Ryashin (RUS), followed by Matteo Bertucci (ITA) in second and Gonzalo Montero (ESP) in third.
In the Optimist class Jean-Luc Herve (UAE) topped the podium, followed by Xuan Ya Tong (KSA) in second, and Miquel Rossello-Collinge (ESP) rounding out the podium.
The ILCA 4 title went to Fynley Britton (GBR), with Indraneel Roy (IND), and Katyayani Kaushik (IND) completing the podium.
In the 29er fleet, Dominic West and Fynley Britton took top honours, followed by Lily Britton and Matteo Gardenghi in second place with Noah Fisk and Alex Simmonds third.
The RS Feva Coached podium consisted of Ameya Rahul Nair and Arya Khanna in first, Miles Wilson-Brown and Noah Kahlon second, and Finlay Henderson and Rayan Abdallah third.
“Our work in sailing reflects our broader mission to design and create educational environments and experiences where young people thrive,” Borghesi added. “The Kidzink Pearl Cup is just the beginning of much more to come.”
