Alexander Povetkin, the retired Russian heavyweight boxer, faces a major setback in his career. The International Testing Agency has overturned a decade of his boxing results due to doping violations.
Povetkin, who's now 45, failed drug tests for banned substances Ostarine and Meldonium. The decision affects his career from October 25, 2014, to October 21, 2024. This period includes some of his most notable fights and victories.
The former heavyweight contender fought against big names in the division. He stepped into the ring with Anthony Joshua for the unified WBA, WBO, and IBF heavyweight titles. That fight took place at Wembley Stadium in September 2018, where Joshua won by knockout in the seventh round.
Povetkin also had a memorable two-fight series with Dillian Whyte. He scored a knockout victory in their first bout in August 2020. However, Whyte got his revenge in the rematch, stopping Povetkin in the fourth round in March 2021.
The International Testing Agency released a statement about Povetkin's case:
"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."
This decision means Povetkin will lose his victories over fighters like David Price, Carlos Takam, Mike Perez, and the first fight with Dillian Whyte.
Povetkin's troubles with doping aren't new. He received a one-year suspension in 2016 after testing positive for Ostarine and Meldonium. Now, he's serving a four-year 'Period of Ineligibility' that started on October 21, 2020, and will end on October 21, 2024.
The Russian boxer retired from the sport in 2021 at the age of 41, citing recurring injuries as the reason. His career included fights for world titles against both Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko.
This ruling casts a long shadow over Povetkin's boxing legacy, erasing a significant portion of his later career accomplishments due to the use of banned substances.
