Alexander Povetkin Failed Drug Test Puts Deontay Wilder Fight in Jeopardy

Ivan Sekretarev/Associated Press

Russian heavyweight boxer Alexander Povetkin could lose his WBC title fight against Deontay Wilder after testing positive for meldonium.

On Friday, Dan Rafael of ESPN.com reported Povetkin failed a test administered by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association in April. The WBC and the camps of both fighters received a notification about the positive test, but no final decision about the fight has been made.

VADA President Dr. Margaret Goodman sent a letter to all parties involved, which outlined the next step in the process, per Rafael:

Mr. Povetkin has the right to promptly request analysis of the ‘B’ sample at his expense. Please be aware that VADA does not adjudicate results nor determine whether sanctions are appropriate. As with all results, adverse findings are reported to the relevant commission(s) who may make such determinations.

Andrey Ryabinsky of World of Boxing, which promotes Povetkin, said the 36-year-old fighter took the substance in September, according to the Russian TASS news agency (via Rafael). The World Anti-Doping Agency didn’t place meldonium on the banned-substance list until Jan. 1.

Meanwhile, Wilder’s promoter, Lou DiBella, explained to ESPN they are still looking into the situation: “We’ll make a more detailed statement and figure things out when we discuss this among ourselves and with the WBC. We haven’t had enough time to digest this. We’ll have more to say later.”

The heavyweight title bout is slated to take place May 21 at the Megasport Arena in Moscow. Rafael pointed out a cancellation would cost Wilder the biggest purse of his career at just over $4.5 million with a potential $715,000 win bonus.

Ultimately, the battle with Povetkin figured to serve as one of the stiffest tests of the undefeated American’s career. Wilder sports a 36-0 record with 35 knockouts, including KOs in each of his three title defenses since winning the belt from Bermane Stiverne by unanimous decision in 2015.

Povetkin has just a single loss on his career resume (30-1, 22 KOs), which came against Wladimir Klitschko in 2013. Like Wilder, most of his victories have come in dominant fashion, including four straight knockout victories since his only defeat.

It’s unclear when a final decision will be made. With that said, at a time when the heavyweight division could benefit from more high-profile battles, losing an encounter between two of its top boxers would be a significant blow.