Wilder To Defend Heavyweight Title Against Stiverne Nov. 4
NEW YORK (AP) — Deontay Wilder will defend his piece of the heavyweight title Nov. 4 against Bername Stiverne, after original opponent Luis Ortiz was scratched because of a positive drug test.
Wilder will make the defense at Barclays Center in Brooklyn against the same fighter he won the WBC version of the title from in January 2015.
Ortiz was scratched from the card after the WBC withdrew its sanction because of the positive test last week. Ortiz, who in 2014 was suspended for a positive steroid test, was found to have taken two banned diuretics that are often used as masking agents for steroids.
Stiverne had been scheduled to fight Dominic Breazeale on the undercard after taking a payout to allow Ortiz to fight for the title. Instead, he will be on the main event of the card, which will be televised by Showtime.
Wilder (38-0, 37 KOs) will be making his sixth title defense against Stiverne (25-2-1, 21 KOs), who he beat by a lopsided decision in their first fight to win the title.
(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
