By Keith Idec

Deontay Wilder surely has plenty to say about Alexander Povetkin failing another performance-enhancing drug test.

In a complete departure from the norm, though, the talkative heavyweight champion has chosen not to say it. Wilder declined comment Saturday, presumably because he is involved in litigation with Povetkin and his promoter, Andrey Rabinsky.

Russia’s Povetkin (31-1, 23 KOs) was supposed to face Canada’s Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1, 21 KOs) for the WBC interim heavyweight title Saturday in Ekaterinburg, Russia. Stiverne withdrew from the fight Friday after the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association revealed Povetkin tested positive December 6 for ostarine, which replicates the effects of anabolic steroids.

France’s Johann Duhaupas (34-4, 21 KOs), who was on stand-by, took Stiverne’s place on extremely short notice. Povetkin knocked Duhaupas unconscious with a left hook just before the end of the sixth round of a 10-round, non-title fight.

Povetkin tested positive for a banned substance for the second time in seven months.

The former WBA heavyweight champion was supposed to challenge Wilder (37-0, 36 KOs) for his WBC title on May 21 in Moscow. A pre-fight test administered by VADA determined Povetkin, who was Wilder’s mandatory challenger, had a small amount of meldonium in his system.

Meldonium, which increases blood flow and oxygen to muscles and increases stamina, was added to VADA’s list of banned substances at the beginning of this year. The WBC canceled the Wilder-Povetkin fight less than a week in advance due to Povetkin’s positive test.

Wilder subsequently sued Povetkin and Rabinsky for more than $5 million in damages, mostly to recoup the $4.36 million purse he was guaranteed in accordance with the 75-25 split from Rabinsky’s winning purse bid. Povetkin and Rabinsky counter-sued Wilder for $34.5 million in damages for defamation and breach of contract.

The 6-foot-7, 225-pound Wilder instead stopped Chris Arreola (36-5-1, 31 KOs, 2 NC) on July 16 in Birmingham, Alabama, near his hometown of Tuscaloosa. He hasn’t fought since he won against Arreola because he sustained a fracture to his right hand and tore his right biceps in that fight and has been recovering from subsequent surgeries.

Wilder wants to return to the ring either late in February or sometime in March against an undetermined opponent. He was supposed to defend his title against the Povetkin-Stiverne winner in his second bout next year, assuming he won the aforementioned tune-up.

The WBC has not announced whether he’ll have to fight Stiverne in that second bout because Povetkin has failed a second PED test this year. Don King, Stiverne’s promoter, demanded Saturday that the WBC make Stiverne its interim champion.

Wilder beat Stiverne by unanimous decision to win the WBC heavyweight title in January 2015 in Las Vegas.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.