Former world heavyweight champion Joseph Parker has been cleared to return to the ring after serving a three-month drugs ban, which authorities attributed to his nutritionist's cocaine use. The 34-year-old New Zealander tested positive for cocaine on the day of his shock loss to Fabio Wardley in London in October.

Parker has always denied knowingly taking any banned substances. UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) said the nutritionist he employed ahead of the Wardley fight was a "regular user of cocaine" and had used the drug daily in the week leading up to the bout.

Parker was tested by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association on October 25, and failed a UKAD test in the early hours of October 26. UKAD announced on Thursday that Parker had served a three-month ban and is now free to participate in sport.

UKAD found in June that Parker's cocaine ingestion occurred out of competition and was "in a context unrelated to sport performance," leading to the lifting of his provisional suspension. Parker himself confirmed the news, saying, "I'm pleased to confirm my provisional suspension is lifted and I'll be back in the ring soon."

Parker's professional record stands at 36 wins and four defeats. He was WBO heavyweight champion from 2016 to 2018 before losing the title to Anthony Joshua. After the loss to Wardley, he also lost his status as WBO mandatory challenger to Oleksandr Usyk.

Source: www.aljazeera.com