MEXICO CITY (AP) The WBC says it is not banning Russian heavyweight title contender Alexander Povetkin after he tested positive for the banned substance meldonium, and has ordered him to fight Canada's Bermane Stiverne for an interim title.
Povetkin was due to face WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder of the United States in May before it was revealed he had failed a drug test in the build-up.
The fight was called off and Wilder was allowed to arrange a voluntary defense against Chris Arreola in July, which he won.
The WBC says in a statement it will require Povetkin to undergo extra drug testing but says it was impossible to prove he took meldonium after it was banned in January. Povetkin has said he stopped taking it last year, when it was legal.
