By Yuri Tarantin

Ekaterinburg, Russia - If there was any question about the testing protocol for Saturday's WBC heavyweight eliminator, Alexander Povetkin (30-1-0, 22 KO’s) revealed that he was tested at least five times by VADA ahead of his upcoming fight with Bermane Stiverne (25-2-1, 21 KO’s).

They are set to battle at the Ekaterinburg Expo Center in Ekaterinburg, Russia. At the weigh-in on Friday, Povetkin weighed in at 223.7, while Stiverne tipped the scales at 249.3.

The winner of their highly anticipated clash will be the mandatory challenger to current WBC Heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder.

Both fighters have had a bit of controversy with drug tests taken in 2016. To ensure the fight was fought on an even playing field, both boxers were signed up to the WBC's drug testing program, which is being handled by VADA.

A few weeks ago, Stiverne came up positive for a banned substance in a random drug test. After a brief investigation, it was revealed that Stiverne had inadvertently ingested the substance from an energy drink. 

Back in May,Povetkin was scheduled to fight Wilder, but shortly before the fight was going to take place - it became known that Povetkin had tested positive for meldonium.Povetkin admitted to taking the drug last year, when it was still legal. The drug was officially listed as a "banned substance" in January of this year.

After the positive test, the Wilder vs. Povetkin was postponed and then ultimately canceled. Both sides have filed lawsuits against each other, seeking damages for the fight being canceled.

The WBC conducted a very long investigation, and they cleared Povetkin and approved him to take part in this eliminator with Stiverne.

Yuri Tarantin covers boxing for Allboxing.ru.