by David P. Greisman

Sergey Lipinets is just 10 fights into his pro career and is already nearing a title shot.

Other boxers have been moved quickly, yet it’s still a rarity, the kind of thing reserved for when managers and promoters believe they don’t need to develop their fighter as gradually as others may need.

That’s the case with Lipinets, according to his manager, Alex Vaysfeld.

“I was handling his amateur career. I was with him when he was an amateur. I was with him when he was kickboxing. I know what he is made of,” Vaysfeld told BoxingScene.com earlier this week. “Very strong-willed, smart, sharp, follows instructions and understands what he needs to do.”

Vaysfeld recalled how Lipinets didn’t want a four-round fight for his pro debut, but rather a six-rounder when he entered the paid ranks back in April 2014. His opponent, a sturdy designated opponent named Franklin Varela, was 21-14 at the time and lasted the distance.

Soon, Lipinets was brought to the United States.

“The very first sparring I put him in, fresh off the boat, was with Ray Beltran, and that was sparring worthy of a pay-per-view,” Vaysfeld said. “That was unbelievable sparring. And I realized you don’t want to beat around the bush with this guy feed him a lot of bums and build him up that way. He was so confident in his skills, and I was so confident in his skills.”

Over the span of the past two and a half years, Lipinets has gone 10-0 with 8 KOs, with recent victories coming on Premier Boxing Champions cards.

“I know what he’s capable of. I know what I’m looking at. I’ve been in the business all my life,” Vaysfeld said. . “I understood that this is a special guy.”

Only Varela and Haskell Rhodes in October 2015 have made it to the final bell. Vaysfeld chalks that up to the fact that opponents have mistakenly stayed in Lipinets’ range.

This Saturday, Lipinets will face Lenny Zappavigna in an elimination bout, with the winner becoming mandatory contender to the IBF’s junior welterweight title, currently held by Julius Indongo. Lipinets vs. Zappavigna will be streamed on Showtime’s Facebook page prior to the network’s live television broadcast.

“It’s a tough fight. Lenny is a guy that has a lot of experience, but stylistically it’s a very entertaining fight, because Lenny is going to come forward, try to bang with you,” Vaysfeld said. “That’s something that’ll probably suit Sergey more than Lenny. It’s a crowd-pleasing fight. Sergey understands and realizes that this is basically the threshold he needs to pass to get to the championship of the world.”

Pick up a copy of David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsamazon or internationally at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsworldwide. Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com