Povetkin Pays $250K fine

Alexander Povetkin of Russia fully satisfied a $250,000 fine from The World Boxing Council for a failed drug test .

According to WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman, The WBC will use the money towards the further development of their “Clean Boxing” anti-doping programs.

“Alexander Povetkin has paid the fine, to be used for the development of the Clean Boxing program,” Sulaiman said.

Povetkin was scheduled fight WBC champion Deontay Wilder in Moscow, Russia on May 21, 2016 – until Povetkin failed a pre-fight drug test. He came up positive for a trace of banned substance meldonium. Povetkin admitted taking meldonium last year, but claimed that he stopped before it was banned in January 2016. The WBC announced on May 15, a week before the fight, that it would be postponed.

Later in 2016, the WBC ordered a mandatory fight between Povetkin and former world champion Bermane Stiverne, for the interim WBC heavyweight title. The purse bid was won by World of Boxing promoter Andrey Ryabinsky with a winning bid of $3.165 million.

The fight was booked for December 2016, but just 20 hours before the fight was scheduled to take place, the WBC withdrew it’s sanction of the fight stating Povetkin had failed another drug test, this time for Ostarine. Stiverne bailed on the fight after the WBC withdrew their sanction.

In November, the WBC withdrew Povetkin’s indefinite suspension for violating anti-doping rules. – but ordered the Russian boxer to pay a $250 thousand fine.

In his first fight back, he dominated Christian Hammer over twelve rounds in a World Boxing Association (WBA) final eliminator to secure a amandatory shot at WBA, IBF, IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

Povetkin has pro record of 33 wins (23 by knockout) and one defeat at the hands of Wladimir Klitshcko in 2013.