Add Alexander Besputin to the short list of opponents for Terence Crawford.
The southpaw Russian outpointed hard-hitting countryman Radzhab Butaev over 12 hard-fought rounds at the Casino de Monte Carlo in Monte Carlo.
All three judges scored it 116-112 for Besputin, who is aligned with Top Rank, the promoter of Crawford. Eddie Hearn promoted Butaev-Besputin, as he turned in a winning purse bid for the chance to stage the fight. Hearn acknowledged beforehand that he was rooting for Butaev, a Lou DiBella-promoted fighter.
It was a closely contested fight, as evidenced by Besputin’s ruby-red face when it was over. Besputin controlled the fight with a busy jab and overcame a few vulnerable moments.
“Yes, I was very confident that I was winning the fight,” Besputin said afterward. “I was getting tired at the end. I couldn’t punch hard, but I was trying to take aim at my target.
“It was a very difficult fight. We have a big history going back to the amateurs. I did everything, and I showed that I am ready for the big (fights).”
It was a fight of two styles, with Besputin continually moving around the ring while throwing more shots than his opponent. Butaev was more economical, as he tried to hunt down the fluttering Besputin with powerful hooks. After a slow start, Butaev found his stride in Round 3, landing hard counter rights to the body. In Round 9, Butaev had his best round of the fight, hounding Besputin on the ropes with winging hooks before the bell rang.
Just when it looked like Besputin might be slipping, he came back in the final rounds to separate himself from Butaev, boxing on the outside and preventing Butaev from setting up his power shots.
Afterward, Besputin said he wants to fight the winner of the Terence Crawford-Egidijus Kavaliauskas welterweight title fight on December 14 at Madison Square Garden.