Wasn't Wilder was in Russia a week before the scheduled fight.Freedom2013 wrote:Excellent post!Enlightened-One wrote:However, the bottom line though, is this:
• Deontay Wilder will be allowed to retain ownership of the WBC heavyweight title for at least two years, without having ever faced a mandatory challenger
• Alexander Povetkin has been the “mandatory challenger” to Deontay Wilder’s world title for fifteen months, but now he has to defend his “mandatory challenger” status
• The “mandatory challenger” has to make a “mandatory” defence of his status before the world champion is obliged to perform a mandatory
Here’s a detailed list of reasons why I find the whole situation bizarrely unfair to Povetkin - based on the following points:
• Deontay Wilder won his WBC heavyweight title on the 17th January, 2015
• Povetkin became the mandatory challenger to Wilder’s WBC title on the 22nd May, 2015
• Deontay Wilder hasn’t engaged in a mandatory defence of his world title
• The WBC deprived Povetkin the opportunity to fight for Wilder’s belt at the last-minute
• Wilder was authorised to engage in another voluntary defence of his title against an over-matched opponent
• Povetkin was accused of “failing” a drug test and subsequently received widespread accusations of being a PED “cheat”
• WADA clears Povetkin’s name
• Instead of conceding their mistake, the WBC claims that Povetkin escaped a ban because they couldn’t prove any wrongdoing
• The WBC compels Povetkin to engage in a bout to retain his “mandatory” challenger status
• All Bermaine Stiverne has to do is to defeat a journeyman with a losing record to be granted an opportunity to gain the WBC interim belt and deprive Povetkin of his mandatory challenger status
Therefore, Povetkin was going to get his mandatory shot on May 21, 2016 ... a one year wait that's not abnormal these days.
If anyone here was in Russia, RIGHT AS ONE OF THE HUGEST STEROID SCANDALS WAS UNFOLDING, and then your opponent failed a drug test, you wouldn't take the fight either ... it's common sense.
If it was a honest scientific mix-up it could have been resolved.
However, it had to be resolved at the PBC, WBC, Russian Boxing Association level.
It could have been resolved quickly, but WE allow boxing to operate like this.
Remember how long the Hopkins/Dawson reversal took?
That has nothing to do with Wilder. It is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay above his head.
You guys think this is the movies where fighters could make demands.
Even Manny gets told to shut the f up by his promoter/manager.
It's typical that most of you here choose to target the powerless Wilder in this situation.
He is just a worker like you. Why can't people understand that?
imo, it shows a weakness. You are willing to point your anger at the easy scapegoat target (fighter),
instead of the real problem which is the hard target (boxing politics/business).
