Sergey Lipinets Continues Quiet Ascension Towards The Top

By Jake Donovan

There are plenty of fighters who claim to do all of their talking in the ring, yet seem to have plenty to say when they don’t get the attention they believe they deserve.

Spend a few minutes in the presence of Sergey Lipinets, however, and you’ll find the saying to be a perfect fit.

The 26-year old Kazakhstan-born boxer – who divides home time between Ozery, Russia and his training headquarters in California - carries a game-day mentality every waking moment of his life as a rising super lightweight prospect. The only thing on his mind is his next assignment.

At present time, that would be Tuesday’s clash with Levan Ghvamichava, taking place Tuesday evening at Robinson Racheria Resort & Casino in Nice, California. The bout will headline the latest installment of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Fox Sports 1, his third U.S.-televised bout among his last four starts.

It’s his first fight of a 2016 campaign his team expects to be of the breakout variety. It’s already his fourth scheduled 10-round bout through just nine pro fights, with Ghvamichava (16-1-1) the latest in a string of aggressive matchmaking in efforts to fast-track Lipinets towards title contention – even if it’s just another day in the office to the young boxer.

“2016 is going to be just like everything else in my life, one fight at the time,” Lipinets (8-0. 6KOs) told BoxingScene.com in typically succinct fashion. “Right now we're focusing on March 15th and that is all that matters.”

The manner in which he’s wired has allowed him to excel at every level on which he’s competed. He was a championship kickboxer contemplating a full conversion to boxing when discovered by manager Alex Vayfield.

Fortunately for Lipinets, the first impression sought by the managers was what he was able to do in the combat sports arena. The cold stare he offers upon introduction and during conversation may not make for small talk but serves him well in an industry where focus and drive can go a long way.

“He proved that in the gym, sparring with a very high level of the opposition and holding his own,” said Vayfield. “He's already fighting guys that would be considered a hurdle to a lot of other fighters and he's taking them out.”

Through such sessions – as well as his rich background in various forms of combat – have come the decision to pursue an ambitious schedule against fighters that will push him in the ring and up in the rankings.

“The reason Sergey is being moved up quickly is because we believe that he is an exceptional talent and there is no point in beating around the bush,” Vayfield points out. “It's a collective decision on the part of me, my partner Alex Mezirovsky, as well as our advisor, Al Haymon.”

It’s shown through his first eight fights, all of which have come versus opposition with significantly more pro experience, including a pro debut versus 35-fight veteran Frankie Valera.

Most recently, Lipinets was tasked with solving the awkward style of previously unbeaten Haskell Rhodes, forced to settle for a 10-round decision in a fight in which his opponent was reluctant to engage. Their Bounce TV-aired crossroads bouts of undefeated prospects saw Rhodes enjoy early success with constant lateral movement, but which turned to running and an unwillingness to engage once Lipinets was able to cut off the ring and consistently land right hand shots.

It came in stark contrast to his first U.S.-televised bout, a 9th round beatdown of Cosme Rivera last summer on Telemundo, but both give fans an idea of his ranging skillset. That said, he hopes for Tuesday’s clash with Ghvamichava to be more fight than boxing match.

“The Haskell Rhodes fight was just another learning experience for me,” suggests Lipinets. “He tried his best not to get engage, but I made him do so. He was a strong guy that came to fight his game plan and I made sure it didn't work out for him.”

“I believe (the win over Rivera) gave a sort of preview of what to expect from me when I fight. My appearance as the co-main event on Bounce TV gave me an opportunity to show that even a fight against the guy such as Rhodes could be an exciting one. I'm sure that my fight with Levan will be even better because of our styles.”

While not particularly concerned about anything beyond the fight in front of him, Lipinets understands the concept of entertainment value. Continuing to win will keep him on the path for eventual title contention, but the manner in which he wins suggests how frequent he fights and how often the revolution will be televised.

“There is a huge difference between the training antics in Russia vs USA. Sparring is different, strength and conditioning is different, but most of all here in the U.S. you can't take anything for granted,” Lipinets acknowledges. “If you don't fight an entertaining crowd-pleasing fight then you won't get another chance. So you have to train twice as hard.”

That type of work is right in Lipinets’ wheelhouse. More work and less talk will eventually get him to where he needs to be. Just don’t expect him to tell you all about it – you’ll just have to see for yourself when he’s in the ring.

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox