Wilder victorious in Povetkin courtcase.

Undefeated WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is set to defend his belt for the fifth time on February 25 against Gerald Washington, but scored a moral victory yesterday in a Manhattan courthouse, along with claiming his $4.5m purse from his cancelled megafight with Alexander Povetkin.
Money from the contest, scheduled for May 2016 was held in escrow, following Povetkins positive WADA test for the banned substance Meldonium.
Wilders purse would have been a career-high payday against Povetkin until the bout was scrapped with just a couple of days to go.. Promoter Lou DiBella is elated at the outcome, calling it a huge victory for the sport of boxing in the fight against PED and substance abuse, thanking attorneys Judd Burnstein and Peter Schalk and all concerned in for the successful conclusion..
Incidentally Wilders upcoming defence against Gerald Washington only came about after original opponent Andrzej Wawrzyk, failed a steroid test as part of the WBC's clean boxing program..  Wilder chose Gerald because of the way he always conducted himself, Washington, also unbeaten always made a point of cordially addressing Wilder whenever they met and consistently made it known that if he was ever considered as a future opponent, he vowed he'd be ready.
Having scored 15 wins and one draw throughout his career, Washington fits the bill..
For Povetkin and promoter Andrey Ryabinsky, the court loss will almost certainly lead to an appeal as the Russian continues to protest his innocence.
Previously, Ryabinsky had provided evidence of only a tiny amount of drugs in the ex-world title holder's system, although any trace in the eyes of WADA is seen as too much. Povetkin is now tarnished as a proven drug cheat for the remainder of his career..