By Vadim Pushkin
As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, Alexander Povetkin tested positive for traces of meldonium, a recently banned substance, according to information presented to the World Boxing Council from testing agency VADA.
Povetkin is a week away from his mandatory fight with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, which at the moment is still scheduled for next Saturday night in Moscow, Russia.
The story is topping boxing’s headlines and new information is slowly floating in.
According to Andrey Ryabinskiy, the promoter of Povetkin and CEO of the 'World of Boxing' promotional company, the concentration of meldonium in Povetkin’s blood possibly within the allowed limits.
“Well, if you are interested, the concentration of meldonium in Sasha Povetkin’s blood, is 70 nano (!!!) grams”, wrote Ryabinskiy on his twitter.
According to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s standards, concentration of meldonium within a span of 1 to 15 micrograms is virtually acceptable for the probes, made from January 1st till March the 1st of this year, while probes with traces of meldonium, performed since March 1st, can be detected as positive for a quantity exceeding a limit of 1 microgram. Povetkin’s current concentration is 70 nanograms = 0.07 of a microgram, according to the promoter.
Meldonium was commonly used amongst athletes in Eastern Europe, but was placed on the banned list by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as of January 1, 2016. In prescription form, the substance is used as an anti-ischemia medication, used to improve blood flow.
Povetkin’s team openly admit that the boxer had previously taken meldonium as recently as last fall prior to his 12th round stoppage win over Mariusz Wach last November, at a time when it was still legal to use the substance. The victory was his fifth straight – all by knockout – following the lone loss of his career when he came up well short in his Oct. ’13 title bid versus then-champion Wladimir Klitschko.
