As Joseph Parker continues to fight to clear his name after a failed drugs test last year, his trainer Andy Lee has described the New Zealand boxer’s setback as his “worst nightmare”.
In a case of insult added to injury, the news of Parker’s failed Voluntary Anti-Doping Association test came in the days after his shock stoppage defeat by Englishman Fabio Wardley in London in October.
Since that failed test, which revealed trace elements of cocaine, the process has been shrouded in secrecy, with Parker in November releasing a statement expressing his surprise and confidence he will be cleared.
Currently training overseas with Tyson Fury, it is believed Parker has launched an appeal on the grounds that any illegal substance entered his system without his knowledge. The 33-year-old spent the entirety of his training camp with his wife Laine and their six children.
For Irishman Lee, a major factor in former WBO world champion Parker’s rejuvenation over the past five years which has included victories over the dangerous Deontay Wilder, Zhilei Zhang and Martin Bakole, the news of the failed test was shocking.
"It really rocked me," Lee said in an interview with the United Kingdom’s TalkSport. "As a coach, it’s your worst nightmare to find out one of your fighters has failed a drugs test, but the situation is quite strange.
"The tests on the day of the fight for a substance like cocaine, which is not performance enhancing… probably the worst thing you could do going into a fight is take cocaine.
"There’s been an internal investigation as a team… and this is not for me to say right now but it will come out."
Parker’s manager David Higgins today told 1News he had little to add, saying only: "The process continues to be in progress." An enquiry with Oceania's WBO representative went unanswered.
Lee said Parker was "working with lawyers in the UK and appealing the decision", adding: "He doesn’t know how long he’s banned for, he doesn’t know what the ruling is yet, but there will be an appeal and Joe is quite confident he will be exonerated."
The series of events last October – after an 11th round technical defeat by Parker to an underdog in Wardley who has no amateur background and got into the sport via the corporate boxing route, was virtually the worst-case scenario for a fighter closing in on the end of his career.
The bout was billed as a final eliminator for a winner-takes-all unification clash against Oleksandr Usyk and it went wrong almost from the start for Parker, who, 1News has learned, went into the fight with a badly upset stomach after a late mix-up with his nutrition.
After an uncertain second round in which he was hurt by Wardley, Parker edged his way back via his jab and left hook and had his opponent in trouble in the ninth and 10th rounds.
The Kiwi appeared to have a healthy points lead until the fight suddenly changed in the 11th round following Wardley’s onslaught against which Parker appeared helpless, opening the way for referee Howard Foster to step in.
Asked about Parker’s tactics in the fight and whether he got it wrong, Lee said: “When you’re in a fight you can have all the best plans in the world but sometimes you’ve got to fight. Joe was winning the fight, he was using his jab well, but you have to give the fighter some autonomy.
"He felt at times he could take Wardley out. You have to give huge credit to Wardley too – he’s got a great fighter’s mentality and a great fighter’s heart.
"In a battle like that, when two heavyweights are punching that hard, that’s what can happen."
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