MOSCOW, March 7. /TASS/. The International Boxing Federation (IBF) has excluded Russian heavyweight boxer Alexander Povetkin from its rating lists for twelve months after a decision by the World Boxing Council (WBC) to suspend the athlete over doping abuse, the IBF press office told TASS on Tuesday.
The WBC earlier indefinitely suspended Povetkin and fined him $250,000 for a repeated violation of anti-doping rules. The Russian boxer will be able to participate in any IBF-organized bouts only a year later. The jury of a federal court in New York ruled in January that Povetkin had been consuming doping substance meldonium after the performance enhancing drug was put on the prohibited list.
Povetkin has been excluded from our rating lists for a term of one year. The decision is based on the athlete’s suspension made earlier due to the violation of anti-doping rules, the IBF press office said.
The fight between Povetkin and American boxer Deontay Wilder, scheduled for May 21 in Moscow, was postponed after the Russian tested positive for the banned drug meldonium. The WBC approved a voluntary title defense for Wilder, while Povetkin’s case was under investigation. Meanwhile, the American side made a public allegation that the Russian boxer was taking illegal substances. When the WBC completed investigating Povetkin’s failed doping test, it decided against penalizing the Russian boxer.
The 37-year-old champ’s doping sample "A" taken on December 6, 2016, tested positive for ostarine before Povetkin’s fight with Canada’s Bermane Stiverne for an interim heavyweight title. Doping sample "B", taken on the same day, also turned out to be positive.