By Ruslan Chikov
Russian businessman and Vice-President of the Professional Boxing Federation of Russia, Andrei Ryabinsky, says there are still outstanding issues in the ongoing negotiations to finalize a deal between WBO/IBO/WBA/IBF champion Wladimir Klitschko (60-3, 51 KOs) and mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin (26-0, 18 KOs). The match has a scheduled date of October 5th in Moscow, Russia. The two sides have until June 7th to reach an agreement.
Ryabinsky is partners on the show with Russian promoter Vladimir Hryunov, who secured the rights to the card with a winning purse bid amount of $23 million dollars.
The two sides have several issues, mostly having to do with the drug testing dispute and selecting the organization to regulate the event. There is also a dispute over the gloves, but Ryabinsky considers that to be a very minor matter.
Klitschko and his team want German-based NADA to handle the drug testing, and the German Boxing Union (BDB) to oversee the fight. Povetkin's promoters wants RUSADA to handle the drug testing and the Russian Professional Boxing Federation/WBA to oversee the fight. Klitschko's team does not fully trust RUSADA or the Russian Professional Boxing Federation, likely because Ryabinsky is the Vice-President.
"The representatives of Klitschko said that the match has to go under the auspices of the German federation, which will resolve all of the issues relating to the fight. We feel their position seems a bit strange. We won the bid, we immediately reported that the fight will take place in Moscow. And [now we have to use] the German Boxing Union? They want the German Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), we want the one from Russia (RUSADA). There was no agreement. Then we proposed a compromise: let Klitschko test with NADA, and Povetkin with RUSADA. And at one point it seemed that [a deal with them was close on this subject]. But this week, after the sharp statements of [Klitschko manager Bernd] Beonte, it became clear that [we do not have a deal]. That is not the only problem, Klitschko's team is against having the doping tests take place during the training camp for this fight. They are only comfortable with the option of a single test - taking place after the match. We are not confortable with that and any expert will tell you why," Ryabinsky told Kommersant.