Wilder Very Excited To Face Povetkin in Russia, Says Manager

By Edward Chaykovsky

WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder is really excited about traveling to Russia to face Alexander Povetkin in a mandatory title defense. The fight is slated for May 21 at a venue to be announced. Showtime is finalizing a deal to televise the fight.

As a pro, Wilder has fought in Mexico and the UK, but he's stepped away on foreign soil as the champion.

Povetkin's promoter, Andrei Ryabinsky, won last month's WBC purse bid with a $7.1 million submission to secure the promotional rights. Wilder will get least $4.5 million based on the WBC's split.

According to Wilder's co-manager and co-trainer Jay Deas, he heard the fight might land at a new venue in Russia which seats between 13 to 15 thousand fans.

Wilder (36-0 with 35 knockouts) was last in the ring back in January when he picked up a ninth round knockout of Artur Szpilka at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Povetkin and Ryabinksy came over from Russia and were watching the fight from ringside.

Povetkin, who is riding a four right win streak, suffered his sole defeat came at the hands of former champion Wladimir Klitschko in 2013. He last action last November when he stopped Mariusz Wach in the twelfth round.

"It's a lot of logistical challenges because you're on the road and you've got to have time to acclimate,"Deas said to Alabama.com. "Of course,Povetkin is a challenge within itself. He's a former gold medalist. He's only lost one fight as a professional. At this level, they're all good. But Povetkin is very, very good. He's an excellent fighter and brings incredible credentials to the table. He's a world champion, former gold medalist and he's very good. He would be the biggest challenge to date."

"He's fighting in his home country. He's coming off four or real big wins since he lost to Klitschko. We're looking forward to it. We've heard really great things about what Russia has to offer. It's a very, very unique type of trip and we expect a great trip."

"[Wilder is] really excited about this one. He's been to Russia before, but he's really excited about this fight and what it could mean for his career. We're already gearing up for the start of training camp, getting in contact with some sparring partners and honing in on guys we want to bring in to work with us."