The heavyweight contender was found to have the substance in his system prior to his mandatory clash with champion Deontay Wilder and the WBC had no choice but to postponed the May 21 fight.
Amidst strenuous denials from Povetkin’s promoter Andriy Ryabinsky, the WBC are in the process of reviewing the levels detected in the sample given.
As of January 1, meldonium was added to the banned list, although any athlete taking the drug prior has been given a deadline of October 1, 2016 to find no trace of the pharmaceutical. This could hand Povetkin a reprieve should the Russian’s levels be under those stipulated by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
On the matter, the WBC put out the following information this week:
June 14, 2016, the WBC assembled and convened an Emergency Review Committee that included scientific, medical and legal advisors. The Committee reviewed and discussed the information available concerning Alexander Povetkin’s positive test result for the banned substance Meldonium.
June 28, 2016, Mr. Povetkin and his medical and scientific team met with the WBC in Mexico City and presented their position as part of the WBC investigative process in this matter.
The WBC has offered Champion Wilder and his team an opportunity to present their own medical and scientific information and a meeting has been confirmed to take place by mid-July. In the meantime, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has released an updated informational notice concerning Meldonium, which the WBC and the WBC Committee will thoroughly review while continuing with the process outlined by the Clean Boxing Program.
In the meantime, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has released an updated informational notice concerning Meldonium, which the WBC and the WBC Committee will thoroughly review while continuing with the process outlined by the Clean Boxing Program.
The WBC will continue its process and inquiry and will provide additional information in the very near future.
