Sergey Lipinets believes he’s as good as the top welterweights in the world.
And so far things have gone well at 147 pounds for the former 140-pound champ: Three welterweight fights, three victories since he lost his title to Mikey Garcia by a unanimous decision in March 2018.
Next up: Undefeated former Olympian Custio Clayton on Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
No. 1-ranked Kudratillo Abjukakhorov, an Uzbek who lives in Malaysia, was scheduled to fight Lipinets but had to pull out because of visa issues. Clayton replaced him about a week ago.
The bout is being billed as an IBF “interim” title fight, meaning the winner will be in position to challenge champion Errol Spence Jr. if he gets past Danny Garcia on Dec. 5. Lipinets is ranked No. 3, Clayton No. 5.
That’s what Lipinets is after, a chance to prove he belongs among the elite.
“I don’t look past Clayton,” he said. “I have to win that fight and I’m 100 percent focused on him. But I do believe that I belong on the level with Errol Spence Jr. and the other elite welterweights. I think I’ve shown that my whole career.
“Before I can look at a fight against Spence or Danny Garcia, I have to win on Saturday.”
Clayton (18-0, 12 KOs) is no pushover. He reached the quarterfinals of the 2012 Olympics for his native Canada and has not been seriously challenged as a pro.
The downside for Clayton might be his lack of experience in big professional fights. He has never faced a fighter at Lipinets’ level and has never fought outside Canada, which is unusual for a 33-year-old contender.
Lipinets (16-1, 12 KOs) has shown Clayton nothing but respect.
“Clayton is definitely a great fighter,” he said. “He was an Olympian, which says a lot in itself. He’s shown in the pros that he can punch well, so we know he’s dangerous. We both come forward and try to fight. It’s going to be a very entertaining fight.”
Lipinets, a Los Angeles-based native of Kazakhstan, said he and trainer Joe Goossen easily adjusted to the change of opponents.
“We stayed in the gym the whole time,” he said. “Joe Goossen kept us working every day of the week. We were actually getting ready for several possible opponents at once. Everything really went as planned.
“Clayton’s name was thrown out probably a month ago as a possibility. Joe took care of studying him initially. About a week ago we got everything solidified, but we had already worked with sparring partners to prepare for someone like Clayton.
“It was really all about Joe putting pieces together for my style no matter who we were going to face. People might not think it, but I can box and move around the ring well. Joe has added elements to it that made it a more fluid style.”
Clayton is thrilled the have the opportunity. And he says he’s ready.
“The truth is that I’ve been preparing for the possibility of this fight for four or five weeks,” he said. “I’m not underprepared whatsoever. I was ready to fight when I got the call. How do you say no to a fight like this? I have had a great camp and I feel confident and ready for Saturday night.
“I think this is a very good matchup. Lipinets is a very good fighter. He’s a former world champion and from what I’ve seen he always comes to fight. Most people look at me as an aggressive fighter as well. I always like to bang, but I think you are going to see a different side to me.
“People who know me know that I’m very low-key and laid back, so not much gets to me, but this is a very, very big opportunity and I’m thankful for it. I’m not the type to jump in excitement but I am definitely very happy that I got the call for this fight. Now we are focused on preparing for Lipinets.”
Clayton, a native of Nova Scotia who fights out of Ottawa. is known as a good boxer who can also punch, but he believes it’s the former that will be the key for him on Saturday.
“I think my boxing ability is going to be the biggest factor in this fight,” he said. “It’s just that nobody has seen it yet. That will be the big key. People don’t understand how smart I am. I don’t look at the size. I’m prepared for whatever.”
“I think a win would do a lot for the reputation of Canadian boxers. It will show that we do have some fighters that when they get the opportunity, can take advantage of it. We have a couple fighters like Jean Pascal and hopefully that I can show I can be another one.
“All the hard work I did back in Nova Scotia, it shows that people can take different routes to chase their dreams. A win would mean a lot to me and to Novia Scotia.”
A win would mean a lot to both fighters.
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