Alexander Povetkin-Bermane Stiverne heads to purse bid

There was said to be an initial agreement in place to stage the fight, but now a purse bid for WBC mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin and Bermane Stiverne in an interim title fight has been set for tomorrow. So I guess we'll see whether Povetkin's promoter Andrey Ryabinsky or Stiverne's promoter Don King digs deeper in their pockets for the right to stage the bout. Ryabinsky is the odds on favorite to win the purse bid and bring the fight to Russia.

Povetkin, of course, was supposed to be challenging WBC world titlist Deontay Wilder for the green belt, but that fight fell apart after Povetkin tested positive for trace amounts of banned substance meldonium. Povetkin was eventually cleared by WADA for the failed drug test with the WBC following suit -- stating that there was no evidence that Povetkin took the substance after it hit the banned list on January 1, 2016.

That ruling paved the way for this interim title fight between Povetkin and Stiverne, with the winner almost assuredly to get a shot at Deontay Wilder sometime next year.