Grigory Drozd on the situation of Alexander Povetkin the doping test for Meldonium.

Grigory Drozd is a Russian professional boxer. He is the former WBC cruiserweight champion and a former European cruiserweight champion. Drozd commentes the news about a positive meldonium doping test of Alexander Povetkin.

- How a pro boxer can find out that mildronate included in the list of prohibited drugs?

- All information seems to be appeared on the site of RUSADA, the same mildronate, in my opinion, was already there, and it was written that it was under monitoring. There is a doctor in my team, who monitors all this, and I'm somewhere else a year ago, he said that from January meldonium will be banned drug.

Generally Mildronate for all athletes who perform at the championships of Russia, but even on some regional competitions, was like vitamin drops, which was taken by everyone. Almost always it was prescribed by doctors and athletes worked well. Its abolition? I have always been in the same cage Riboxin which is, fortunately, not banned. In fact, drugs that replace meldonium could be found, but overall it was a very good preparation, which is still being prescribed to people who need to strengthen the heart muscle. There is nothing terrible in its ban, but all the same Meldonium is very helpful drug, no wonder that it is prescribed in all clinics.

- Did you discuss with Povetkin the ban of Mildronats, at least at the level of the news?

- We have not discussed it, but the information was open, it was not any secret. Based on what is, I think that the most important thing - do not panic. It is necessary to wait for a final decision, to understand how much of the meldonium was found in the blood. Nobody says to abolish the battlefield. We need to wait a bit, and soon all will be known. Intuitively, I think that this fight will take place. Alexander generally very skeptical about any vitamins, sports nutrition, and I am sure that it is clean. Maybe it's just someone's desire to speculate on these things.

- You knew about mildronate ban by doctors from your team. Are there any in the team Alexander Povetkin?

- I can only say that he has a very good team, very strong doctors. The rest is better to ask him.

Yesterday it became known that in blood of the Russian boxer Alexander Povetkin, claiming the WBC title, traces of Meldonium prohibited by WADA previously been detected. Povetkin must conduct the fight for the title with the American boxer Deontay Wilder in Moscow on 21 May 2016.