Former heavyweight titleholder Alexander Povetkin is back in the mix and potentially in line for a shot at Anthony Joshua, as the Russian turned back the challenge of Christian Hammer today in Ekaterinburg.

Povetkin (33-1, 23 KO) won by unanimous decision on scores of 119-109, 120-108, and 120-107. Hammer falls to 22-5 (12 KO) with the loss.

Povetkin, 38, has been the subject of much controversy the last couple of years. He was scheduled to face WBC titleholder Deontay Wilder in Russia in 2016, but Povetkin failed a drug test, which ultimately canceled the fight. There was lots of legal wrangling after, but the main fact for fight fans is that Povetkin didn’t face Wilder, which was a highly-anticipated bout.

He returned last December with a win over Johann Duhaupas, then beat Andriy Rudenko this past July. The win over Hammer makes it seven straight overall for Povetkin, following his 2013 defeat against Wladimir Klitschko.

The fight with Hammer was sanctioned as a WBA eliminator, meaning Povetkin is now Joshua’s mandatory. Right now, Joshua and his team are negotiating for a unification fight with WBO titleholder Joshua Parker of Australia, and reports have been encouraging for that fight to go down in March. If it doesn’t, Povetkin is an interesting option for Joshua, at least.