By Ryan Burton
Former WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1) is looking forward to his upcoming fight against Alexander Povetkin (30-1). The WBC recently ordered the two fighters to face each other for the interim WBC heavyweight title. The winner will become the full champion Deontay Wilder's mandatory challenger when he recovers from injury.
The 37-year-old Stiverne has a lot of respect for Povetkin but is very confident that he will come out with the victory.
"He is a good fighter. Kind of like a Chris Arreola but a couple notches higher but nothing I can't handle," Stiverne stated.
The two fighter's promoters are currently negotiating the fight and have until September 30th to reach a deal or the fight will go to bid.
Povetkin's promoter Andrey Ryabinsky would like to stage the bout in the United States while Stiverne's promoter Don King recently said he would like to pay homage to Muhammad Ali and stage the fight in the Philippines or in Africa.
Stiverne said that he doesn't care where the fight happens. He just wants to get his hands on Povetkin.
"It doesn't matter where it is at. What matters to me is winning again and becoming a two-time champion. I am looking forward to fighting Povetkin. I am basically just waiting on the date. I am already in training camp," sad Stiverne.
Wilder had been due to take on Povetkin in Russia in May before the challenger failed a drug test 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.
As long as Povetkin passes his drug tests, Stiverne said he doesn't have any issues.
"As long as he is getting tested. As long as he is clean. I am all for it," Stiverne told BoxingScene.com.
Send questions or comments to ringsidewriter@gmail.com. You can follow Ryan on Twitter @ringsidewriter
