Don King and Bermaine Stiverne start legal proceedings against Ryabinsky and Povetkin.

Veteran promoter Don King and former heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne are taking legal action against former Olympic gold medalist and WBA champion Alexander Povetkin regarding their scheduled bout from back in December of 2016.. Stiverne was due to meet Povetkin in Yekaterinburg, Russia in a WBC final eliminator, when on the day of the fight news broke that Povetkin had failed a drug test for the stimulant Ostarine, cancelling the fight.. Don King Productions and Stiverne will now attempt to settle the unresolved issue in court as they have filed a suit for $2 million in the Court of Arbitration for Sport against Alexander Povetkin and the World of Boxing.
Don King Productions and the World of Boxing had an agreement that the winner of the 2016 bout would stand in line to face Deontay Wilder.. Both fighters were to have received purses of $1,424,250 and the winner grabbing an additional $316,500. The test failure was the second by Povetkin in a seven-month period.
Stiverne did eventually face Wilder in a rematch, but still holds hopes of continuing his career..
“Povetkin and Ryabinsky can’t play by the rules of the WBC and VADA,” barked King, “they denied Bermane the opportunity of a lifetime to become heavyweight champion. All of the hard work leading up to the fight and then waking up the morning of the fight in Russia and being told that there wouldn’t be a fight is devastating.”
Incidentally, Povetkin still boxed in December of 2016 against an alternative opponent, Johann Duhaupas..