Wilder’s lawsuit that could clean up combat sports

Deontay Wilder is suing Alexander Povetkin for $5 million for testing positive for a banned substance and having their fight cancelled. If he wins that sets a precedent for a serious penalty that would make using banned substances way too big of a risk in boxing.
What’s the worst that happens to a fighter who tests positive for a performance enhancing drug? They get a couple month suspension, have their fight canceled, and their legacy questioned, maybe get a slight fine. In combat sports, the reward for using banned substances out weights the punishment. But Deontay Wilder has filed a lawsuit against Alexander Povetkin that might end up cleaning out combat sports of performance enhancing drugs.
Wilder was scheduled to fight mandatory challenger Povetkin in Moscow, Russia on May 21, 2016. For going to Moscow, Wilder was guaranteed $4,504,500. But the fight did not happen. Povetkin tested positive for the banned substance meldonium, forcing the fight to be canceled and costing Wilder the biggest payday of his career.
On June 13, Wilder officially filed a $5 million lawsuit against Russian promoter Andrey Rybinsky and heavyweight contender Alexander Povetkin for breach of contract and monetary damages related to the cancellation of the fight.
If Wilder wins his lawsuit, a new precedent will be set that fighters who test positive for banned substances and have their fights canceled will be subject to having to pay their opponent the money they would have earned for the fight. That is significant. Not only will Povetkin lose his nearly $2 million purse for the fight, he may have to pay out another $5 million to Wilder. That is an expensive penalty to pay for using a banned substance.
And if that precedent is set, fights might not risk taking those banned substances and it could clean out the sport.
Corey Johns
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