Digital Media Center
Bryant-Denny Stadium, Gate 61
920 Paul Bryant Drive
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0370
(800) 654-4262

© 2024 Alabama Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Deontay Wilder Wins Another Fight, This Time in the Courtroom

In a unanimous court decision, U.S. heavyweight boxer Deontay Wilder has won his latest fight.

A Manhattan federal jury found in his favor Monday as the World Boxing Council champion seeks $5 million for a fight that never happened against a Russian heavyweight challenger. 

The 31-year-old Tuscaloosa native was not in court when the nine-person jury returned its verdict after brief deliberations. Neither was the Russian boxer — Alexander Povetkin.

The jury concluded Povetkin had used a performance-enhancing substance after it was banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency in early 2016. He tested negative for meldonium three times but then tested positive in a surprise test before the scheduled May fight, which was canceled.

Povetkin's lawyer, Kent Yakowitz, promised to appeal, calling the verdict "a true miscarriage of justice."

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.
News from Alabama Public Radio is a public service in association with the University of Alabama. We depend on your help to keep our programming on the air and online. Please consider supporting the news you rely on with a donation today. Every contribution, no matter the size, propels our vital coverage. Thank you.