Deontay Wilder vs. Alexander Povetkin fight postponed!!!!

By Boxing News - 05/15/2016 - Comments

povetkin7By Patrick McHugh: In light of the positive drug test from challenger Alexander Povetkin last April, the World Boxing Council has decided to postpone the Povetkin vs. Deontay Wilder fight. Wilder-Povetkin was scheduled to take place next Saturday on May 21 at the Khodnyka Ice Palace in Moscow, Russia. The WBC wants to investigate this further before making a final determination.

It looks like the WBC wants to make sure they make the correct call when they ultimately decide whether to cancel the Wilder-Povetkin fight completely or let Povetkin still get a shot at Wilder.

Here’s a statement from the WBC sent today:

“The World Boxing Council is diligently addressing the positive test result from the Clean Boxing Program for mandatory heavyweight challenger Alexander Povetkin. Keeping the priority of safety and also the principle of justice, the WBC will continue the investigation into the case. Consequently, the event scheduled for May 21 in Moscow is hereby officially postponed. The WBC will be releasing more information in the coming days regarding the final ruling on the matter.”

Wilder was supposed to fly out on Sunday to Moscow, Russia to get ready for next Saturday’s fight against Povetkin. However, Wilder and his team didn’t make that flight because they obviously knew something was up.

This is bad news for boxing fans because the Wilder vs. Povetkin fight promised to be an exciting one from start to finish. Povetkin, 36, had the hometown advantage with the fight being staged in his native country of Russia in Moscow. While the 6’2″ Povetkin would be giving up five inches in height and six inches in reach to the 6’7″ Wilder, he had the experience to make up for it. What Wilder had going for him besides his height and reach was his youth, punching power and mobility. The last time Povetkin fought someone with the punching power, size and mobility of someone like Wilder, he was easily beaten by Wladimir Klitschko.

The positive drug test for Povetkin is potentially a big blow to his career because it had taken him two years to get to the No.1 mandatory spot for a world title fight against Wilder. If the WBC and the other sanctioning bodies knocks him down in the rankings, it could take Povetkin time to get another shot at a title. At 36, Povetkin doesn’t have a lot of time to be waiting around before he gets another title shot. It’s difficult to imagine that Povetkin will be a better fighter in two years than he is now. The heavyweight division keeps getting better, and it’s possible that Povetkin will no longer be relevant in two years.