Alexander Povetkin set for December 15th return

Former heavyweight champion and current cautionary tale Alexander Povetkin, undaunted after multiple losses to America’s drug testing agencies, is headed back to the ring in two months. He will be facing an opponent to be determined in Ekaterinburg alongside, if BoxRec is to be believed, several undefeated Russian prospects.

The likeliest foe is reportedly Christian Hammer (22-4, 12 KO), who upset PED enthusiast Erkan Teper last October before channeling him in a knockout of David Price four months later. He would be Povetkin’s second opponent since the farcical shenanigans that led to him knocking out last-second replacement Johann Duhaupas in December.

Even if Povetkin does dispose of Hammer as expected, it’s hard to envision Joseph Parker or Anthony Joshua agreeing to face him for anything less than massive compensation and a contract that would have Povetkin serving as their butler for a year if they found more than a nanogram of sauce in his system. Welcome to the age of one of the best heavyweights beating up mid-tier guys in Europe due to his own idiocy.