Boxing's Credibility on PEDs Is the Big Winner in Wilder-Povetkin Postponement

American WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder’s title defense against mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin was postponed Sunday just a couple of days after it was revealed the Russian challenger had flunked a pre-fight drug test.

Igor Lazorin of the Russian News Agency TASS (h/t Boxing Scene) reported Wilder’s team is adamant the fight is cancelled and not postponed, but that is still pending the WBC’s decision.

It’s an unfortunate situation for Wilder, who was due to make a career-high payday (guaranteed $4.5 million) defending his title in Moscow against the toughest challenger of his career, but it’s a clear win for the sport and those who seek to keep it clean.

A fight should never go forward when there are failed drug tests or legitimate questions about the safety of the fight or integrity of the competition.

Boxing is a dangerous game. That’s not breaking news, but every fighter who decides to make a career in combat sports understands that he or she is always just one blow away from potential serious injury or even death.

It’s the nature of the beast, and an accepted risk, but that leaves zero room for tolerance of those who seek to gain potentially dangerous competitive advantages. It’s why boxing needs a strong drug-testing regimen, and why the postponement/cancellation of Wilder-Povetkin—disappointing to the fans as it may be—is an example of exactly how such a process should work.

Allowing bouts to go forward when one fighter tests positive renders pre-fight testing moot. This one should’ve been put off (at the very least), and it was.

We don’t need any more situations like when Erik Morales tested positive for clenbuterol four times (two "A" and "B" samples) prior to a 2012 challenge of Danny Garcia in New York and still got to fight.

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The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) eventually sanctioned Morales for the failed tests, but the penalty took place after both the fight and his retirement from the sport.

Or a guy like Erkan Teper, who tested positive for drostanolone after a win over Newfel Ouatah and then tested positive again after knocking out David Price.

Wilder and Povetkin were both subject to the same random testing conducted under the auspices of the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA).

ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael reported Friday that VADA had sent letters to both fighters and their teams in regard to a failed test by Povetkin on April 27. The test showed small amounts of the banned substance meldonium.

Meldonium was legal until Jan. 1 of this year before the World Anti-Doping Agency added it to the list of banned substances because it increases stamina.

Vadim Pushkin of Boxing Scene reported Povetkin’s team isn’t disputing that the fighter took the substance prior to the ban. They claim he took it last fall before the ban went into effect. Their theory is that the trace amounts found in the urine sample were caused by residuals remaining in his system.

Per Rafael, documents dispute that theory.

VADA tested Povetkin on April 7, 8 and 11, with all those tests coming up clean prior to the positive result on April 27. That suggests the substance entered his body after the first three tests.

The WBC has yet to make an official ruling on whether Povetkin will remain the mandatory challenger for Wilder’s title. If he will, a rescheduled date (sure to be with even stricter testing) could be coming.

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If not, Wilder would likely be allowed to make a voluntary defense before a new top contender is named. He’s the victim and considerably put out (both financially and in time wasted) by this situation.

It’s important to restate that halting a bout when a fighter tests positive for PEDs is essential. Even if Povetkin and his handlers prove correct and the fighter is exonerated, it’s not worth the risk of allowing drug testing to be all bark and no bite.

It’s not hard to draw a contrast between the handling of this situation and how the WBC dealt with the recent failed drug test of its super featherweight titlist Francisco Vargas. Vargas tested positive for clenbuterol in a VADA-administered test on April 21, but his June 4 title defense against Orlando Salido is still scheduled to take place.

Golden Boy Promotions blamed the positive result on eating contaminated meat in Mexico, where clenbuterol is often included in livestock feed, per Rafael. That story holds water since the NFL recently issued a warning to its players about consuming meat in Mexico and China for fears of contamination and potential positive drug test results.

Vargas moved his camp from Mexico to California after the positive test and has come up clean in all subsequent VADA tests, per Miguel Rivera of Boxing Scene.

The WBC handled both situations properly, which was essential since the organization, through its president Mauricio Sulaiman, has been at the forefront of mandating drug testing for all fighters who want to compete for its titles.

Bob Velin of USA Today reported on May 7 that the sanctioning body—at its own expense—had partnered with VADA to provide a program of yearlong random drug testing. The Clean Boxing Program requires all WBC champions and fighters in the top 15 of its divisional rankings to subject themselves to unannounced testing and undergo training related to the side effects and risks of PED usage.

It’s a groundbreaking and laudable effort, but one that would’ve fallen flat had Wilder-Povetkin been allowed to proceed in light of a positive test.