Former Russian WBA regular welterweight champion Alexandre Besputin (15 wins in 15 fights, 11 of them by knockout) last entered the ring in September 2021. The boxer is in no rush to officially announce his retirement, although he is well aware of the difficulty of ‘a return.
At the same time, the former WBA champion closely follows world boxing. And discussed hot topics with Besputin:
“THREE YEARS AGO I WILL NOT GIVE HEYNE A CHANCE IN A FIGHT WITH LOMACHENKO, NOW THE SITUATION IS DIFFERENT”
– I would like to discuss with you the main fights of the near future in the world of boxing. Let’s start with the showdown between former three-weight champion Vasily Lomachenko and undisputed U.S. lightweight champion Devin Haney, scheduled for May 20 in Las Vegas.
– It’s a tough fight. Vasya already had a fight for the absolute, he had to fight with George Kambosos (who was later defeated twice by Haney).
Haney is a very strong opponent with notable anthropometry. He really is a big guy for a lightweight. If you look at the sports component, he dominated other weight classes, and lightweights… Let’s be objective, lightweights are not for Vasily.
Vasya in life, perhaps a few more kg weighs. In other words, it doesn’t really drive lightweight. A person can be overtaken by age. Vasya is already an adult man, and this is not really the last chance … It’s just not so easy to fight for the absolute – the belts are usually scattered, but here all the titles are owned by one person.
I’ll rate the odds 50/50. I think Vasya is more motivated than Haney. Although Haney’s motivation is good.
– For Haney, the name of Vasily Lomachenko will be almost the first such prestigious name on his list. So for the American, this fight is important not only in terms of belt protection, but also, as it is fashionable to say, in terms of legacy.
– Haney had a victorious fight with Jorge Linares (ex-champion in three weight categories), there were other fights. But these are not such prestigious names as Vasya. For Haney, it’s a big test. But let’s be honest, Haney has already declared himself the absolute world champion. But to gain a foothold, to make a name for himself, the fight with Lomachenko is a good start. Again, 50/50 odds.
“Allow me to disagree with you. We are talking about today, and now Haney is objectively on the rise, unlike Lomachenko. If we had talked about such a fight three years ago, there would have been no questions.
“About three years ago, I wouldn’t have given Haney a chance. By the way, there is the most popular joint photo of Lomachenko and Haney. And I took this photo. I remember then in the show’s main fight fought (Oscar) Valdez.
“KHRGOVICH, ZHILEI AND JOYCE ARE A GOOD START-UP FOR GASSIEV”
– In heavyweight, they want to organize a fight between the former American champions Deontay Wilder and the Briton Anthony Joshua.
“It’s a loud and cool fight. Sasha Usyk fought Joshua… And it seems to me that Sasha Usyk, as a big name, doesn’t shine at heavyweight. Let’s say the Joshua-Wilder fight is ten times stronger than Usyk will fight anyone. If Usyk fought Tyson Fury, yes, it’s a big fight. But of all the heavyweight fights discussed, Joshua and Wyler are the most publicized. And in this fight, I bet Wilder 60/40.
Wilder is a guy with character. In battles with Fury, he proved himself to be like a real man. Maybe Wilder isn’t as trained as Joshua, but mentally Deontay is much stronger than the Briton. Additionally, Wilder has two arguments he hits hard with.
– Do you see a chance for the Mexican Andy Ruiz in a possible meeting with Tyson Fury, scheduled for July 22?
– What you are. Where is Ruiz and where is Fury. Ruiz had his finest hour in the first fight with Joshua (when the Mexican sensationally knocked out the Brits). I remember when I had just arrived in the United States and signed with Top Rank, Ruiz was undefeated and Top Rank refused him a contract. Going forward, the company probably regretted that Ruiz came on short notice to fight Joshua and caused such an upset. Then Ruiz won a good Ortiz, that’s all.
Ruiz is very small for Fury. And in general… If you take all the heavyweights, then I think Fury is out of everyone’s reach.
– In the heavyweight context, what are the prospects for Murat Gassiev? In March, he had his fourth successful fight in the Royal Division in Yerevan, beating Mike Balogun in the second round. And more recently in Vladikavkaz he gave one of the few interviews.
– It seems to me that Murat needs to work on this – communicate more with the media.
We’ve named a number of heavyweights now, and I’d put Murat there, but it’s hard to do – Gassiev hasn’t had worthy opposition in recent fights. I don’t know how Murat sees his good preparation, but with the right preparation and with no injuries, he will make a lot of noise with the current top opposition. In the future, I see Murat as a champion, but it should depend on his ambitions and desires. I see them, he was the champion. But now Gassiev needs a good test.
For example, Croatian Filip Hrgovic. I watched his fight with the Chinese live (Zhang Zhilei in August 2022, when Hrgovic won). Murat will kill them both. And this Chinese will now defeat Joe Joyce. By the way, Joe Joyce is a good startup for Murat. Joyce is unlikely to have lasted five rounds with Murat. He moves forward, and after the first serious combat contact, Joyce would fall. Murat has a powerful punch and a natural explosion. It’s innate.
HOST THE USIK FIGHT WITH A BOXER OUTSIDE THE TOP THREE, WILL ANYBODY WIN THIS?
– You talked about Gassiev’s championship prospects. Among the possible fights in modern realities, this is possible following the results of the fight with Fury.
– I don’t consider the fight between Murat and Fury. Bye. We have to get away from reality. So we appointed a Croat, a Chinese, Joyce. In these battles, with the right preparation, Murat will win. And now to say that Murat is going to beat Fury… It’s ridiculous, people are watching. You have to watch Murat in serious fights. But again, I see Fury now beyond the reach of any heavyweight. Now in the top three heavyweights I see Fury, Wilder and Joshua.
And Usik?
Usyk is a great boxer. It’s just… Well, take any vocal trio boxer and set up any fight for them. Here, Joshua recently fought with Franklin, and it was a full Wembley. And now you organize a fight with an unknown boxer for Usyk, the organizers will earn at least some money on tickets, the channels will take them on show (smiles)? I’m not speaking biased, but objectively. It is indeed so.
“Still, I WOULDN’T WANT TO SEE BIVOL AND BETERBIEV’S FIGHT. LET ALL BE AS IT IS”
– Let’s continue the discussion about Russian boxers. Recently, WBC chief Mauricio Suleiman said that the organization does not sanction the fight of Russians Dmitry Bivol and Artur Beterbiev on political issues. His speech was: “As long as there is no boxing in Ukraine, there will be no boxing in Russia”.
Let’s not talk about politics. Do we remember when there were big fights in Ukraine? Maybe my memory is wrong, but honestly, I don’t remember when there was a big fight in Ukraine. I don’t remember, they didn’t exist historically. In Russia there were a lot of them. Then what kind of fights is Mauricio Suleiman talking about…I realized about Suleiman when he said he would make a separate belt for transgender people. For me, this person is a big question mark. And I don’t want to discuss his position, so I’ll omit that point. Pure stupidity.
Yes, let’s go to the sport. Will the fight between Bivol and Beterbiev be organised?
– I am friends with both, they are very strong boxers. The two are stylistically different. For boxing in general, this fight would be of great interest, it is an expected fight. In anticipation, I also remember the meeting between Errol Spence and Terence Crawford. Going back to the fight between Bivol and Beterbiev, I still wouldn’t want to see their one-on-one fight. I am already very happy and happy that all the belts are in Russia. Let everything be as it is.
By the way, I’ve also seen reports that the meeting between Spence and Crawford for the absolute welterweight title could take place at the end of July.
– No no. Crawford is ready to fight and Spence takes care of his case. He doesn’t even hide it… Although if Spence’s team was interested in big bucks, and Crawford wasn’t spoiled by big bucks, he didn’t make as much money as Spence… D’ From a human point of view, I don’t really relate to current American boxers, but Crawford wants to fight for legacy, he doesn’t choose names. It’s nice to watch.
“I DON’T KNOW WHAT I HAVE TO DO TO RETURN TO THE RING”
– Well, to conclude, a question about your career. When will we see Alexandre Bespoutine in the ring?
– I don’t know. I’ve been a burger champ for a year and a half. Announcing the end of a career… Well, many have already understood that there is no time to return to the ring. I’m just convinced that you can’t sit on two chairs. Now I am a sports official, immersed in this activity, but to combine it with active training … If you want to be successful, you have to do one thing.
I don’t want to say that I will never do it, but, most likely, yes, I will not return to the ring again. Now you can only go out in cruiserweight (up to 90.7 kg) … I don’t know – I don’t weigh myself.
– Well, I don’t fit in the first heavyweight.
– I’m shorter than you, so… (laughs).
– In general, do you have to wait for an official announcement of your retirement?
– It’s hard for me to say. But I don’t know what to do to come back. It takes six months or a year to go to a long camp with diet, nutrition and training. And with my current lifestyle, that will be hard to do.
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Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
