Stiverne won’t fight Povetkin; Duhaupas steps in

After learning that Alexander Povetkin had tested positive for a banned substance, former WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne has decided to bow out of his fight tonight against the Russian fighter, which was supposed to be taking place at the Ekaterinburg Expo, in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Povetkin tested positive for Ostarine, a banned substance.

The World Boxing Council subsequently chose not to sanction the Povetkin vs. Stiverne fight for the vacant WBC interim heavyweight title. Povetkin wanted to be able to fight for that belt, because he needed it in order for him to get a crack at WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder. Povetkin will still fight tonight, but against former heavyweight title challenger Johan Duhaupas.

That could prove to be a nightmare for Povetkin. The 6’5” Duhaupas is a much taller fighter than the 6’2” Stiverne, and he fights a lot different. Povetkin might not be able to knock him out, and he could very well lose the fight.

“There’s no reason to fight if the WBC won’t sanction the bout, I’m very disappointed in the actions of Povetkin,” said Stiverne in a statement. “I’ve been training for months to be victorious. To wake up the day of the fight, have breakfast, take a nap and wake up to find out he tested positive is the worst possible situation.”

The WBC is going to make a ruling on Povetkin’s case in the near future. First they want to conduct a full investigation on the results of Povetkin’s positive test, which was revealed by VADA. Povetkin tested positive for ostarine from VADA’s December 6th test. Povetkin has now tested positive for two different banned substances in 2016 alone. He previously tested positive for meldonium earlier this year when he was scheduled to fight Deontay Wilder.

“I’m headed back home to Las Vegas, hopefully the WBC will install me as the mandatory challenger to face (current WBC Heavyweight World Champion) Deontay Wilder,” said Stiverne.”I want the opportunity to fight for the world title again, that was my whole reason to come to Russia was to earn that opportunity.”