Alexander Besputin defeats Radzhab Butaev for first world title

Alexander Besputin and Radzhab Butaev were unknown names heading into their Nov. 30 welterweight title clash. They showed talent on the big stage.

Boxing’s welterweight division is loaded with talent. The primary title holders are Manny Pacquiao, Terrence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. Alongside the significant belts are lesser titles. Unknown prospects Alexander Besputin (13-0, 9 KOs) and Radzhab Butaev (12-1, 9 KOs) were fighting for one of those vacant belts.

On Saturday, Nov. 30, from Monte Carlo, Besputin and Butaev fought for the WBA “regular” welterweight title. They proved to be gifted boxers, but not necessarily worthy of a title shot, even if it is one of the lower regarded titles.

Besputin and Butaev were both undefeated heading into their meeting, but their records were lacking in terms of quality opponents. The two biggest names on Besputin’s résumé were Breidis Prescott and Juan Carlos Abreu. Butaev’s record was devoid of notable opposition.

Boxrec.com had Besputin rated as the 16th-best welterweight in the world. They had Butaev as the 81st-best welterweight. However, they were given a title shot by the WBA because of their rating system. The WBA had Besputin and Butaev as their top two contenders.

Their title bout was strange from the start. Besputin is under contract with Top Rank, while DiBella Entertainment represents Butaev. Matchroom Boxing won Besputin vs. Butaev during a purse bid.

Despite the lack of name recognition, promoter Lou Dibella spoke highly about Butaev’s skills before the fight.

“Butaev has tremendous skill,” DiBella told The Ring. “He was an A-level amateur, and it’s no accident that he and Besputin will fight for a belt.”

Besputin vs. Butaev turned out to be a competitive contest. In many ways, Besputin and Butaev are opposites in the ring due to their contrasting styles and size. Besputin gave up three inches in height to the 5-foot-10 Butaev.

Besputin is a southpaw, and Butaev’s an orthodox boxer. Their feet got tied up several times throughout the fight, but they never clashed heads, as is often the case from fighters with differing stances.

From round 1 on, it was clear that Butaev had the heavier punches, but Besputin was the better boxer with faster hands. The first three rounds were hard to score, but Butaev’s power forced Besputin to move a lot and expend energy.

In round 4, Besputin increased his work rate and let his hands go. Butaev’s flaw was his inactivity throughout the fight. He had some great moments, but he couldn’t string rounds together. He allowed Besputin to erase the memories of his best punches with flurries of combinations.

Through round 8, Besputin was cruising towards victory, but Butaev came alive in round 9. He trapped Besputin on the ropes and punished him with right hooks to the head out of a southpaw stance. Besputin was in serious trouble, but he survived the round.

In round 10, Butaev appeared gassed, and Besputin rebounded in a big way. Besputin started bleeding from the inside of his right eye, but he didn’t let it affect him. He outworked Butaev in the last minute to regain control of the fight.

After winning the 11th round, Besputin took the 12th off. He knew he was ahead on the cards, so he played it safe. Butaev showed some desperation, but he couldn’t catch Besputin for most of the round.

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When the judges’ scorecards were read, all three scored the bout 116-112 for Besputin. His boxing skills were impressive, but he will have a hard time against boxers with elite power. Besputin is fast, but he’s too easy to hit.

Neither boxer deserved a title shot this early into their careers, but they got it nonetheless. Besputin is a good boxer, but he would be wise to avoid the top welterweights in the world, or else his championship reign could prove to be short-lived.

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