The ripple in the water caused by Floyd Mayweather Jr's demand that he and Manny Pacquiao be randomly drug tested using WADA/USADA standards has reached the former Soviet Union. Wladimir Klitschko's IBF mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin has reportedly demanded that he and Klitschko be tested by the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency). Povetkin's manager, Wladimir Hryunov, told Gazeta.ru that the demand has already caused the cancellation of one negotiation between Sauerland (Povetkin's promoter) and Shelly Finkel (Klitschko's manager).
"The reasons of disagreement in the organization of the bout, for the most part, lies in the technical side of things. The thing is Povetkin signed a declaration, which binds him to pass doping tests according to the WADA rules. We insist that Team Klitschko also keep to the terms of this declaration," Hryunov revealed according to Andrey Krikunov of Boxingscene.com.
Klitschko has not yet offered a public response to Povetkin's demand, which should raise interest in the negotiation of this bout. Should Klitschko refuse to adhere to the WADA testing protocol, it will be interesting to see the public reaction. Will a cloud of suspicion hang over his head, as in the case of Manny Pacquiao? Will Povetkin be treated as the villain of the story, as in the case of Floyd Mayweather? Or will the lack of general enthusiasm in the Heavyweight division cause this story to fly under the radar and go away quietly?
The debate over current drug testing versus Olympic-style blood testing has yet to be settled, and may not be in the near future. If Klitschko decides to agree to Povetkin's demands, it will, however, add another marquee name to the list of fighters willing to submit to a higher level of drug testing, while Manny Pacquiao remains adamantly unwilling to comply.