Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.
More than 24 hours after Alexander Povetkin tested positive for a banned substance and less than a week before his heavyweight title fight with Deontay Wilder of Tuscaloosa, the World Boxing Council has made no official ruling on if the fight will go on as scheduled.
Wilder, the champion (36-0, 25 knockouts), is scheduled to face the WBC No. 1 contender Povetkin in a mandatory defense.
News broke Friday afternoon that Povetkin had tested positive for meldonium in a urine sample obtained April 27. Meldonium is a chemical substance believed to increase more oxygen to flow to the muscle, allowing an athlete to sustain performance through endurance.