By Yuri Tarantin
World of Boxing CEO Andrey Ryabinsky is making moves to stage the mandatory WBC eliminator between Alexander Povetkin and Bermane Stiverne.
Ryabinsky recently outbid Don King to secure the promotional rights, with a big bid of $3.16 million. The Russian businessman is going to stage Povetkin vs. Stiverne in Russia.
A few days ago, Ryabinsky evaluated the possibility of pairing that fight with the upcoming showdown between IBF/WBA cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev and mandatory challenger Murat Gassiev - scheduled to take place on December 3rd in Moscow from the Khodynka Ice Palace.
That idea is not going to work out, because Ryabinsky says there won't be enough time for Povetking to properly prepare in training camp, so they are pushing the date back by a few weeks.
At the moment the working date is December 17th, in either Moscow or Yekaterinburg. The location and venue will be finalized shortly.
"It will be held, most likely, on 17th of December. As far as the venue for Povetkin-Stiverne, we are now considering two options: either Moscow or Yekaterinburg. It will definitely be on another date [than Lebedev-Gassiev] because Alexander won't have enough time to properly prepare by December 3. Most likely, the fight will be in the region of the 17th,"said Ryabinsky.
The World Boxing Council ordered Povetkin and Stiverne to face each other to establish a mandatory challenger to WBC heavyweight king Deontay Wilder, who is recovering from injuries that were suffered in his last fight. Wilder suffered a broken hand and a torn biceps muscle in his July knockout of Chris Arreola.
Povetkin was initially scheduled to face Wilder in May. The fight fell out when Povetkin tested positive for banned substance meldonium. The WBC completed an investigation and decided not to apply a suspension or fine on Povetkin. There is however an ongoing legal battle over the canceled event, with Wilder and his handlers filing a case against Povetkin and his promoter seeking damages for breach of contract. There is also a breach of contract counter-suit, with Ryabinsky and Povetkin going after Wilder and his team.
Yuri Tarantin covers boxing for Allboxing.ru
