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Former champion boxer Joseph Parker denies taking ‘any prohibited substance’

Former champion boxer Joseph Parker denies taking ‘any prohibited substance’
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.” (X/@AFP)
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Updated 26 sec ago

Former champion boxer Joseph Parker denies taking ‘any prohibited substance’

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

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.


Dubai Basketball post EuroLeague victory over Zalgiris Kaunas at Coca-Cola Arena

Dubai Basketball post EuroLeague victory over Zalgiris Kaunas at Coca-Cola Arena
Updated 6 sec ago

Dubai Basketball post EuroLeague victory over Zalgiris Kaunas at Coca-Cola Arena

Dubai Basketball post EuroLeague victory over Zalgiris Kaunas at Coca-Cola Arena
  • A 95-89 score completes trio of back-to-back home wins, with record at 5–6 after 11 rounds

DUBAI: Dubai Basketball closed the EuroLeague double-week in impressive fashion, posting a 95-89 victory over Lithuanian side Zalgiris Kaunas in Round 11 and completing a flawless trio of back-to-back home wins.

The night began with Dubai Basketball immediately under pressure. Zalgiris delivered an explosive opening quarter, piling up 34 points and creating a double-digit gap that forced the hosts to regroup early. Gradually, Dubai Basketball tightened its execution on both ends, trimming the deficit by halftime and setting the stage for a pivotal shift.

Dubai Basketball’s head coach, Jurica Golemac, said: “We started very soft. We gave them situations where they didn’t have to work much in the first quarter to get open looks, and that’s why they scored 34 points. But this is what brought us together. We reacted, pushed our defence two or three levels higher, and in the end we managed to win because of teamwork.”

That momentum swing arrived in the third quarter, where Dubai Basketball produced its most impactful run of the game, winning the period 30-19 and taking control of the matchup. Despite that surge, Zalgiris continued to challenge, reducing the margin to three points in the final half-minute. Dubai Basketball, however, held firm defensively and managed the closing possessions with poise to secure the result.

Dubai Basketball relied on a well-distributed offensive effort. Mfiondu Kabengele led the charge with 21 points, followed by Aleksa Avramovic with 16 and Filip Petrusev with 14. For the Lithuanian side, Azuolas Tubelis posted 22 points, Sylvain Francisco added 15 along with nine assists, and Deividas Sirvydis contributed 12.

The win moves Dubai Basketball to a 5–6 record after 11 rounds, marking a solid step forward as the team heads into a demanding road test against Panathinaikos.