The Russian fought late replacement Johann Duhaupas just hours after scheduled foe Bermane Stiverne pulled out following revelations from the WBC that Povetkin had been found with banned substance ostarine in his system.
In a further eye-popping development, Povetkin completely obliterated Duhaupas via a sixth-round knockout that could have had serious repercussions for the Frenchman.
After the victory, Povetkin spoke defiantly regarding the circumstances surrounding his triumph.
“What sense does it make to use doping and fail the last test?” Povetkin told the TASS news agency.
“It is all senseless. I don’t know how the substance got into my body. I don’t even have any assumptions.
“When I learned about it I was getting uneasy, I took it so hard,” he added.
The 37 year-old now faces being excluded from the WBC rankings for the rest of his career, whilst other sanctioning bodies may follow suit as the boxing world cries out for action to be taken against Povetkin.
Being allowed to compete in a such a dangerous sport when drugs have been uncovered is something that should never happen and Duhaupas is lucky to have avoided serious injury after what was a devastating blow to the head to finish the fight.
