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Joseph Parker has spoken about the latest developments with his failed drugs test.

The former world heavyweight champion was last in action in October when he suffered a stoppage defeat to Fabio Wardley in their WBO interim title fight at The O2 Arena in London. Parker was ahead going into the closing stages of the bout, but Wardley turned things around to claim the 11th round win.

It was then revealed shortly after that bout that Parker had failed a drugs test and tested positive for cocaine, though the New Zealander has maintained his innocence throughout.

Nearly six months on that from announcement, there is still no definitive outcome on the matter, and Parker has told TalkSport that it is still a waiting game at the moment.

“At the moment we’re going through a process. Once that’s hopefully cleared soon I can come back, until then I have to wait and be patient. There’s never a timeframe, I just have to be patient and see what the result shows and see what’s going to happen.

“I was surprised, I think you guys were surprised, we’re just waiting to see what’s going to happen. You can’t get a final result until they come to the conclusion, I have to be patient and wait.”

Whilst awaiting a decision, Parker has spent the last few weeks in Thailand training alongside his good friend Tyson Fury, as ‘The Gypsy King’ prepares to return to action on Saturday against Arslanbek Makhmudov at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

Wallin, 35, has a 28-3 record and is best known for pushing Tyson Fury in 2019, opening a deep cut that nearly changed the fight.

He lost to Anthony Joshua in December 2023 and to Derek Chisora in February 2025.

He has lost two of his last four fights since 2023 and has not shown the same form that he displayed in his competitive loss to Fury. That version of Wallin is a long way from the one that was beaten by Chisora in February 2025.

In that fight, Wallin did not maintain a steady work rate and struggled to have an impact with his punches. He has not been known as a heavy puncher, but his output in that bout was lower than in earlier fights.

Wallin returned with a win in his most recent outing, stopping Chris Thomas in the second round last November, but that result came against limited opposition and did little to change his position in the division.

Those results leave him outside the immediate title picture, making his signing more about adding experience than introducing a new contender at heavyweight.

Zuffa Boxing has continued to bring in recognizable names as it builds its presence in the sport, and Wallin fits that pattern. He has remained active, but his recent performances have not placed him among the leading fighters in the division.

Signing with Zuffa could place Wallin in a structure with controlled matchmaking, where the level of opposition differs from the top heavyweights he has recently faced.

The move gives Wallin a fresh platform at this stage of his career, while also giving Zuffa another heavyweight option as it continues to assemble its roster.

No opponent or fight date has been confirmed for his debut under the promotion.

After both men were victorious in recent weeks, there have been murmurs that Moses Itauma could collide with Deontay Wilder this summer. Now, Tyson Fury has offered his verdict on how a fight between the pair would play out.

Wilder has struggled since losing his WBC heavyweight world title to ‘The Gypsy King’ in a wild and wonderful trilogy that will be talked about for generations to come, falling short against both Joseph Parker and Zhilei Zhang since.

However, against Derek Chisora on Saturday night, Wilder was able to record a first decision win since 2015, re-emerging as a potential threat to the heavyweight throne and suddenly poised to benefit from Chisora’s #2 ranking with the IBF.

The week prior, following a brutal stoppage of Jermaine Franklin, Frank Warren announced that British wunderkind Itauma would return to action in July, as he bids to move closer to a shot at becoming world heavyweight champion.

With their timelines aligned, Wilder is now being mentioned as a possible opponent for Itauma’s summer return, but Fury told Queensberry Promotions that it would be ‘pointless’ for ‘The Bronze Bomber’ to agree to face the 21-year-old sensation.

“Frank [Warren] would have to give him [Wilder] a good few quid, a few million, to fight him [Itauma], for the wrong reasons.

“If you have already had 40 or 50 million and spent that, what good is another £2 million to you? Pointless. To get embarrassed by a young kid in front of the world and you are only going to spent it anyway.”

When asked to expand on how the bout would unfold, Fury completely dismissed any chance of Wilder’s experience being the undoing of Itauma.

“It is not even a fight. One man is shot to pieces and one man isn’t, one man is in his prime.”

Although, Wilder may understandably view the proposal as a major risk, considering a lucrative clash with Anthony Joshua could be on the horizon.

Tim Tszyu’s latest win appears to have tee’d up a clash with the inactive Errol Spence Jr, and one of boxing’s top trainers believes that the fight may end in disaster for the latter, who has not fought since 2023.

Spence outpointed Albania’s Denis Nurja on Sunday, overcoming a cut to set up a summer showdown with ‘The Truth’, who was a dominant welterweight world champion until a devastating defeat to bitter rival, Terence Crawford, in July ’23, when bidding for the undisputed throne.

Since that maiden pro defeat, Spence has underdone cataract surgery and was in negotiations to take on Jermell Charlo last year, until talks collapsed.

However, it is now understood that a meeting with Tszyu is close to being formally announced, with Saturday, July 25, being the rumoured fight date.

Speaking to Boxing Scene, Robert Garcia, who trained Anthony Joshua and Nonito Donaire, believes that the three-year lay-off will take its toll on the American, whom he thinks ‘has nothing left’.

“The question is, ‘What Errol Spence will we see?’ Because we haven’t seen him in a while,”

“Honestly, it’s tough to say we’ll see a new Errol Spence. He might not have anything left, and that’s what I think: He has nothing left, and I’ll [pick] Tim Tszyu,”

“He’s not taking tune-ups because he knows he has nothing left. That tune-up may ruin him. He’s taking that big pay day and that’s it.”

For Tszyu, the fight will represent the opportunity to improve on his 1-3 record when fighting in the United States, with all three of his career defeats coming across the pond.

Top Rank’s Bob Arum has been involved in boxing since the 1960’s and has been a true servant to the sport, sure to go down as one of the most influential figures in its long history. More than anyone else, he perhaps has the claim to have seen it all.

Arum’s first fight as a promoter was a clash for the heavyweight world title, as Muhammad Ali successfully defended his WBC crown against George Chuvalo in Toronto, back in 1966.

The promoter would put on 27 of Ali’s 61 professional contests in total, but crafted his legacy just as much during the 1980’s, being one of the driving forces behind fights involving the ‘Four Kings’.

Speaking to DAZN Boxing after announcing a new partnership with the streaming service, Arum revealed that his favourite fight is the legendary clash between Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns, where the middleweight duo produced an enthralling three-round slug-fest.

“My all-time favourite fight ever was Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Tommy Hearns, because of the tour that we had them go on to publicise the fight.

“For some reason, because we had them on this tour, they rubbed each other up the wrong way and by the time the bell rang for the fight, they forgot everything they knew about boxing and they just wanted to make it into a street brawl.

“It was fantastic, it really was something. People who were there still recall it.”

The 1985 bout between Hagler and Hearns is often considered one of the greatest fights ever because of its sheer intensity and drama, with both men throwing everything from the opening bell in a relentless, high-risk battle.

In just three rounds, it delivered non-stop action, momentum swings, and elite skill under pressure – a perfect storm of violence and quality that has rarely been matched in boxing history.

Arum also highlighted Ali’s famous victory in the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ as a personal favourite, where ‘The Greatest’ cemented his dominance over Joe Frazier by knocking him out in their trilogy encounter.

Talk of a potential clash has picked up after both fighters recorded wins in recent weeks, with Itauma continuing his rapid rise through the heavyweight division and Wilder returning with a decision victory over Derek Chisora. The timing has led to speculation that the two could meet as early as this summer.

Fury said Wilder would have little to gain from taking the fight, telling Queensberry the matchup would make little sense. “Frank [Warren] would have to give him [Wilder] a good few quid, a few million, to fight him [Itauma], for the wrong reasons.

“If you have already had 40 or 50 million and spent that, what good is another £2 million to you? Pointless. To get embarrassed by a young kid in front of the world, and you are only going to spend it anyway.”

Fury also made it clear he does not see Wilder’s experience as a factor that could close the gap between the two fighters.

“It is not even a fight. One man is shot to pieces, and one man isn’t, one man is in his prime.”

Itauma is expected to return in July as his team continues to position him toward higher-level opposition, while Wilder’s recent win over Chisora has brought renewed attention to his future options.

A potential meeting between the two would carry clear risk for Wilder, particularly with a possible fight against Anthony Joshua still being discussed as a more lucrative alternative, which may influence his next move.

The fight has yet to be formally discussed, but speculation continues to grow around a possible matchup.

On Saturday night, Derek Chisora suffered a defeat in his supposed farewell fight against Deontay Wilder, and heavyweight rival Dillian Whyte has shared his thoughts on the scrap.

Whyte had been linked as a potential opponent for Chisora’s final professional outing, despite the fact that ‘The Bodysnatcher’ has twice trumped the 43-year-old veteran in the past.

However, it was instead Wilder who was chosen, and ‘The Bronze Bomber’ claimed a split-decision win to spoil the party in a dramatic dust-up that may have lacked the skill and beauty that is craved by the boxing purist, but one that provided non-stop action and chaos.

Reflecting on the affair, Whyte told Boxing News that the people ‘got their money’s worth’ but that he was surprised by Wilder’s lack of defensive abilities, irrespective of the American’s victory.

“It was a good fight, they was just having it. Listen, when you get two guys that are a little bit long in the tooth, you never sit there and think that there is going to be a lot of skill, a lot of moving, a lot of jumping around – it was what I expected.

“I’m surprised that Wilder was getting caught with some of those overhands that Derek was throwing – he was throwing them back from Zimbabwe! And Wilder couldn’t move out of the way.”

“I enjoyed it, I was laughing and it was an enjoyable fight. I think that the people got their money’s worth.”

Following the win, Wilder is now being touted for a long-awaited meeting with Anthony Joshua, who is expected to fight twice before the end of the year.

With Dmitry Bivol set to defend his unified light-heavyweight titles against IBF mandatory challenger Michael Eifert, Callum Smith and David Morrell were due to face off to determine who is next in line. Now, after that fight was cancelled, the WBO have shared an update.

A former WBA super-middleweight world champion, Smith claimed the WBO Interim light-heavyweight world title when he outpointed Joshua Buatsi in a fight of the year contender last February.

Smith is yet to fight since, having waited patiently to see how the 175lb division unfolded and whether he would either be granted a shot at Bivol or upgraded to full world champion.

The WBO ordered Smith to take on his own mandatory challenger in Morrell. However, an injury to Smith saw the headline attraction pulled from that Liverpool card, which will instead now be headlined by Ben Whitaker.

On X, WBO President Gustavo Olivieri explained that Smith has 10 days to ‘submit a certified medical report’ detailing his injury and that he will have 180 days after Bivol’s fight with Eifert (Saturday, May 23) to fulfil his mandatory and take on Morrell.

“Matchroom Boxing has formally notified the WBO that Interim Light Heavyweight Champion Callum Smith has sustained an injury that prevents his participation in the scheduled mandatory bout against David Morrell.

“Accordingly, the WBO will grant Team Smith a 10-day period to submit a certified medical report detailing diagnosis, prognosis, recovery period, and expected return to competition.

“Pursuant to WBO regulations, Mr. Smith is afforded 180 days from the Bivol–Eifert bout to fulfill his mandatory obligation against Mr. Morrell. Failure to comply within this period will result in the WBO Interim Light Heavyweight title being declared vacant.

“The winner of Smith–Morrell MUST face the winner of Bivol–Eifert to terminate the Interim Champion status.”

Consequently, should the medical report be verified, the Liverpudlian has until Thursday, November 19, to defend his belt against Morrell, or else he will be stripped of the WBO Interim light-heavyweight title.

It is perhaps a favourable situation for Bivol, who may now be able to fit in a fight from his hit list – which includes a trilogy with Artur Beterbiev and a clash with WBC champion David Benavidez – before being ordered to face his WBO mandatory, be that Smith or Morrell.

During a recent livestream, Garcia made it clear that the young prospect hasn’t done enough to earn a spot across from him in the ring.

Emiliano Vargas is sitting at 17-0 with some solid recent KOs, like his TKO of Agustin Quintana in February, but he’s still fighting for regional belts like the WBO Latino title.

“Emiliano Vargas, he’s not ready to fight me yet, and he hasn’t fought anybody,” Garcia said during a livestream. “You haven’t even fought a guy on the level of Luke Campbell, and you’re talking about fighting me?”

Emiliano has recently spoken about a potential rivalry with Ryan, even drawing comparisons to the history between Oscar De La Hoya and Fernando Vargas, his father, despite still building his record against lower-level opposition.

Ryan rejected that comparison outright, viewing Emiliano as a prospect still fighting his way up rather than someone positioned for a fight at that level.

“You haven’t fought nobody. Your last fight was a fluke,” Ryan said. “You were not beating him like that for them to stop the fight.”

The De La Hoya vs. Vargas comparisons are great for marketing, but Ryan is right to call a time-out on that narrative. Oscar and Fernando were both established world-class threats when they met.

By dismissing Emiliano now, Ryan is forcing the kid to actually take a risk. If Emiliano wants that “KingRy” payday, he’s going to have to stop fighting developmental opponents and take on a top 10 contender.

Ryan is basically telling Emiliano: “I am the prize now.” If Emiliano can go out and flatten a legitimate name, the demand for this fight will skyrocket. Until then, Ryan is content to let him stay in the prospect lane while he hunts for legacy-defining unification bouts.