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Alexander Besputin performed predictably Saturday night against a 43-year-old opponent who hasn’t won a fight in five years.
The Russian welterweight contender battered Viktor Plotnikov for two rounds, until Plotnikov’s trainer stopped their bout before the third round began. Besputin (14-0, 9 KOs, 1 NC) won by technical knockout on the Artur Beterbiev-Adam Deines undercard at Megasport Sport Palace in Moscow.
The 43-year-old Plotnikov (33-11, 15 KOs, 1 NC) has lost eight straight fights. The Ukrainian veteran hasn’t won a bout since December 2015.
Besputin fought for the first time since his controversial fight against fellow Russian Radzhab Butaev in November 2019 in Monte Carlo. Besputin beat Butaev (13-0, 10 KOs, 1 NC) by unanimous decision in their 12-round bout, but the result was changed to a no-contest because Besputin tested positive for Ligandrol, a banned substance, following his victory.
The WBA also stripped Besputin of its world welterweight title.
Besputin’s bout Saturday night served as a tune-up to get him the ring following a 15-month layoff. It was obvious immediately that his scheduled 10-rounder with Plotnikov would not be competitive.
A left-right combination by Besputin affected Plotnikov just after the midway mark of the second round. Bseputin continued pressing the action and landing the harder shots throughout that round.
Besputin belted Plotnikov with a straight left that made him retreat just several seconds before the hallway point of the opening round. Two straight lefts by Besputin stung in the final minute of the opening round.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.