By Vadim Pushkin
According to Andrei Ryabinsky, promoter for Olympic gold medal winner and former WBA heavyweight champion Alexander Povetkin, the upcoming mandatory clash with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is a sure thing after Wilder signed and sealed the official contact for the fight.
Ryabinsky, will stage the event on May 21 at MegaSport in Moscow, Russia. He secured the promotional rights by winning February's WBC purse bid with a submitted amount of $7.1 million.
Wilder has made three successful defenses of the title since winning it last January with a twelve round decision over Bermane Stiverne. This past January at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Wilder knocked out Artur Szpilka in nine rounds. Povetkin and Ryabinsky traveled over to sit ringside and watch Wilder live.
Ryabinsky is not really going to make money on the event. He overbid to get the fight to Russia, so Povetkin had a much better chance to win the fight.
There were some doubts over whether or not Wilder would actually travel over. Those doubts have now been erased in the minds of Ryabinsky and Povtekin. The two sides have already agreed to use VADA for the drug testing of both fighters.
"Wilder signed the agreement, so now the fight will happen for sure," stated Ryabinsky.
A few weeks ago, Ryabinsky said the upcoming match was a 50-50 encounter.
"My task is completed, the battle will take place in Russia, and now everything depends on Povetkin, because that's what it comes down to - what happens in the ring. Alexander is a conscientious and smart man with a strong character, so he will do everything possible to win. And whether he wins or doesn't win - we'll see. The opponent is very strong. I believe the outcome is exactly fifty-fifty."
Wilder has an unbeaten record of 36 wins (35 by KO), and Povetkin has 30 wins (22 by KO) and one defeat.
