Billy Joe Saunders has been charged with misconduct by the British Boxing Board of Control after the emergence of video footage in which he appears to offer a woman drugs.

Images filmed from inside the WBO world middleweight champion’s car show him speaking to a woman through the passenger window – Saunders offers £150-worth of drugs to the woman to perform a sex act. He then asks her to punch a passerby, which she does, before the boxer drives off.

The British Boxing Board of Control will hold a hearing to investigate the incident, for which Saunders has apologised on social media. The general secretary Robert Smith has confirmed that there could be wide-ranging sanctions if the charge is upheld.

“Billy Joe Saunders has been charged with misconduct,” Smith said. “We’re in the process of organising the hearing for next week.”

The 29-year-old boxer, who is due to defend his title against Demetrius Andrade in Boston on 20 October, could be suspended, have his licence withdrawn or be fined.

Apologise to everybody who’s took offence totally in the wrong ‘ can’t do anything But be sorry ‘ banter when wrong ‘ Apologies once again — billyjoesaunders (@bjsaunders_) September 18, 2018

A statement released by Nottinghamshire Police said: “A woman is offered drugs in exchange for committing an act of violence, and potentially committing a sex act in public. Officers will be looking to identify and speak to all of those who feature in this sickening video, and a full investigation will be carried out into the number of offences that have been captured on film, including the offer to supply Class A drugs, aiding and abetting an assault, assault and public order offences.”

The incident is the latest to undermine Saunders’s reputation. Last December he produced a career-best performance that was considered among the finest by any Briton fighting overseas to outpoint David Lemieux in Canada, but he was then criticised for withdrawing from another fight with Martin Murray through injury and has since been inactive.

In Belfast last month he was also chased out of a restaurant, having allegedly thrown a whole cooked chicken at WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, who is scheduled to fight his friend Tyson Fury.