By Per Ake Persson
According to manager Vlad Hrunov and Sauerland Event's CEO Chris Meyer, unbeaten heavyweight contender Alexander Povetkin did not withdraw from a scheduled fight with Wladimir Klitschko in the manner that was indicated by Teddy Atlas, who is Povetkin's trainer. Atlas said Povetkin withdrew because "he wasn't ready" to fight Wladimir. Sam Peter replaced Povetkin and faces Klitschko on September 11.
The true story, according to Meyer, is Alexander's father passed away in April and there were lots of problems to solve and he just didn't train and that led to the decision not to take the fight. Meyer called Atlas' statements "very unprofessional."
Hrunov downplayed the situation and said that Povetkin and Atlas were very close but acknowledged that it was due to the trainer's statements that the IBF had dropped Povetkin from the ratings.
"We are now discussing how to rebuild Alexander and we'll continue to do so during the week," said Meyer.
