Former WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne went from the undercard to the main event as he will step in for Luis Ortiz and fight WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, in a rematch, on November 4 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
The WBC announced on Wednesday that Ortiz was being pulled from the fight against Wilder after he failed a VADA anti-doping test.
Stiverne, who was in camp preparing to fight Dominic Breazeale on November 4 in Brooklyn, now gets an opportunity to avenge his loss against Wilder.
In their first fight, which Wilder won by a unanimous decision back in 2015, and won the WBC heavyweight belt. Stiverne was hospitalized after the fight for severe dehydration. Stiverne believes that his dehydration was one of the biggest reasons he lost to Wilder.
“I am ready, willing and able to seize back my title from Wilder,” Stiverne said. “We all know that Wilder dodged a bullet in the first fight, but not this time. It was my fault, but I learn from my mistakes. On November 4, Wilder will feel my pain.”
Last time we saw Stiverne, he had to get off the mat to beat Derric Rossy by a unanimous decision back in 2015. Stiverne was scheduled to fight Alexander Povetkin last year, but the fight was canceled after Povetkin failed his pre-fight drug test.
This is probably Stiverne’s last chance at a title shot, so it should interesting to see how he comes out against Wilder on November 4 in Brooklyn.
