Top Heavyweight Who Fought Joshua And Klitschko For World Title Has 10 Years Of Results Overturned
A retired heavyweight who faced both Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko is facing the prospect of having a decade of results overturned after testing positive for a banned substance.
Alexander Povetkin has reportedly had 10-years worth of accomplishments in the ring wiped from his record, which would include his victories against David Price, Carlos Takam, Mike Perez and Dillian Whyte.
The Russian tested positive for Ostarine back in 2014, as well as failing another test in 2016 which showed traces of Ostarine and Meldonium, leading to him being served with a 1-year suspension.
As reported by Boxing Scene, it has been revealed that Povetkin is currently serving a 4-year ‘Period of Ineligibility’, following the revelation of the 2014 failed test which had reportedly been kept under wraps until now.
The International Testing Agency had this to say about the Russian’s situation:
“After being notified of the case and informed of his procedural rights, the athlete decided not to challenge the anti-doping rule violation. In addition, the athlete’s results from October 25 2014 until the start of the athlete’s provisional suspension on October 21 2024 have been disqualified, including the results obtained during a boxing match held on the night of October 24/25 2014.”
The 45-year-old faced Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in September 2018, pushing the Brit all the way until he suffered a 7th-round knockout defeat to lose out on the chance at becoming the unified WBA, WBO and IBF heavyweight champion. He had also lost in a previous title tilt against Klitschko.
Povetkin secured a monumental upset victory over Whyte in August 2020, knocking ‘The Bodysnatcher’ out with a crushing left uppercut in the 5th-round.
They went on to face one another in a rematch seven months later, with Whyte gaining his revenge over the Russian with a 4th-round stoppage. The Russian has not fought since that defeat to Whyte, announcing his retirement from the sport in 2021 at the age of 41. Povetkin said a number of ‘re-occuring injuries’ led to him making this decision.
