By Igor Lazorin, tass
No surprise here. Promoters Don King and Andrey Ryabinsky were unable to reach an agreement on the mandatory WBC eliminator between Alexander Povetkin and Bermane Stiverne.
World Boxing Council President Mauricio Sulaiman has scheduled a purse bid for this coming Friday in New York City. Both Ryabinksy and King - among other promoters - will take part in the bidding procedure.
The recent turn of events is not surprising. BoxingScene.com published a report several weeks ago where Ryabinksy stated that he was having an extremely difficult time reaching an agreement with King.
In an ironic twist, one of the sticking points was the location - with Ryabinksy wanting Povetkin to fight in the United States while King wanted Stiverne's big fight to land overseas, and had no problem with having the contest land in Russia.
While Ryabinsky is looking to stage the fight in the United States, King is has suggested paying homage to Muhammad Ali by staging Povetkin vs. Stiverne in The Democratic Republic of Congo, Russia or the Philippines.
The Congo (formerly Zaire) hosted the "Rumble in the Jungle" in 1974 between Ali and George Foreman, while the Philippines hosted the legendary "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975 between Ali and Joe Frazier.
"This sparked the idea to do something fantastic by memorializing 'The Greatest of All Time' Muhammad Ali, to the benefit of the people," King said of the possibility of taking Stiverne-Povetkin to one of those two countries.
"I have nothing against holding the fight in Russia, but it would probably better to take place in the United States. The negotiations are tough and extremely difficult, therefore, most likely, we will head to a bid," Ryabinsky said last month.
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.
The WBC had given both sides until September 16. They were unable to reach a deal and requested an extension, which the WBC granted. The additional time came and went, with WBC finally losing their patience and ordering the bid.
Wilder had been due to take on Povetkin in Russia in May before the challenger failed a drug test by testing positive for newly banned substance meldonium and the fight was cancelled. After a long investigation by the WBC, the sanctioning body cleared Povetkin of any intentional wrongdoing.
