Welterweight contender Alexander Besputin (14-0, 9 KOs) of Russia would like to secure a crack at Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao.
Last month, Besputin won a twelve round unanimous decision over Radzhab Butaev to win the vacant WBA "regular" welterweight title.
Pacquiao holds the WBA's "super" title at 147-pounds - which is recognized as the true WBA title of the weight class. He captured the belt back in July with a twelve round decision win over Keith Thurman.
But Besputin, who is virtually known by most fans, brings very little monetary value for Pacquiao - and it's unlikely the WBA will ever order them to fight each other.
Unless Pacquiao decides the fight is worth doing, Besputin will point the bulk of his attention on other bouts in the weight division - like a mandatory defense against Yordenis Ugas.
“It’s hard for me to talk about Pacquiao’s interest in fighting with me. He is a sports veteran and chooses big fights. For me it would be a great meeting, a good challenge, but it will all depend on Pacquiao. If he wants to do it, then a fight with him will happen. In general, I would like to hold fights with other champions at my weight, I would like to become the absolute world champion. Right now I want to hold a mandatory defense, and then I will be ready to unify," said Besputin, quoted by the press service of the Boxing Federation of Russia.
Besputin also said that he was not interested in a second meeting with Butaev.
“I don’t see the point of a rematch with Butaev right now. I think that not a single person who understands boxing has any questions about the outcome of this fight. And with my ambitions towards uniting the belts, this rematch is not interesting to me at all,” Besputin added
