Tag: Eric Molina

Povetkin, Hunter fight to draw; Whyte outpoints Wach on Ruiz-Joshua card

Alexander Povetkin and Michael Hunter fought to a draw on the Andy Ruiz Jr.-Anthony Joshua card. Dillian Whyte won his comeback fight.

Other heavyweights on the Anthony Joshua-Andy Ruiz Jr. card Saturday in Saudi Arabia tried to put their best foot forward. Dillian Whyte succeeded, Alexander Povetkin and Michael Hunter not as much.

Povetkin (35-2-1, 24 knockouts) and Hunter (18-1-1, 12 KOs) fought to a draw in the co-feature, which would’ve put the winner in the mandatory position for one of Joshua’s heavyweight titles. They both had their moments in a fiercely fought bout but neither could separate from the other.

The scores were 115-113, 113-115 and 114-114.

Povetkin, a former Olympic champion who is now 40, is hoping for one more shot at a world title.

Hunter, 31, is a former cruiserweight contender trying to make his mark in the sport’s glamour division. A solid performance against a veteran like Povetkin was a positive step even though he didn’t have his hand raised.

Hunter’s only loss was a wide decision to Oleksandr Usyk in 2017, his last 200-pound fight.

Whyte, a late addition to the card, weighed a career-high 271 but it didn’t matter against Mariusz Wach, who was outpointed 98-93, 97-93, 97-93 in a 10-rounder.

Whyte has been mired in controversy. He failed a pre-fight drug test but, for unknown reasons, was allowed to fight Oscar Rivas on July 20. On Friday, U.K. Anti-doping dropped its case against Whyte.

And, in another heavyweight fight, prospect Filip Hrgovic (10-0, 8 KOs) of Croatia stopped veteran Eric Molina (27-6, 19 KOs) in the third round.

Dillian Whyte to fight on Ruiz-Joshua II card in wake of PED scandal

Dillian Whyte will take on Mariusz Wach on the undercard of the Andy Ruiz vs. Anthony Joshua rematch, despite his ongoing drug scandal.

Dillian Whyte has been quieter than a church mouse for the past several months but we’ll hear from him soon.

The British heavyweight contender will take on Mariusz Wach on the undercard of the Andy Ruiz Jr.-Anthony Joshua rematch Dec. 7 in Saudi Arabia, it was confirmed in a release today. The news comes as Whyte has been embroiled in a PED scandal that has seen him disappear recently from the public eye.

Whyte tested positive for a banned substance before his July 20 fight against Oscar Rivas, in which Whyte survived a ninth round knockdown to win a unanimous decision. The test was administered by UK Anti-Doping.

Whyte’s “A” sample reportedly showed small amounts of epimethandienone and hydroxymethandienone, which are metabolites found in the banned substance Dianabol.

It was revealed afterward that the British Board of Boxing Control, as well as Whyte and his promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, had been notified of the results before the fight while Rivas and his team were kept in the dark. Hearn said he couldn’t share his knowledge of the test results because of confidentiality requirements.

The BBBofC reportedly conducted a hearing before the fight, which included UKAD, and Whyte was cleared to participate in the fight against Rivas without Rivas’ knowledge.

Whyte isn’t the only fighter on the card to have failed a drug test. Wach, Alexander Povetkin (who takes on Michael Hunter) and Eric Molina (who faces Filip Hrgovic) also have tested positive for banned substances.

Ruiz-Joshua II will stream on DAZN.