Yes, I have not fought for a long time. It's sad, of course. I’ve been training for three to three and a half months for each bout. There were really hard workouts. I think that in the future all this will come in handy.
It was not my fault that our first fight fell through. I was at the peak of my physical condition and everyone knew it. Slava approached me and said that he withdraws from the fight because of his health issues. I said: "No problem, get well!" And there really are no problems. If a person feels bad before a fight - let him withdraw. We are competing at a high level and the stakes are very high here, no one wants to lose.
Then they appointed us a second fight. I was also well prepared, I was confident of my abilities. But it so happened that I fell ill with angina. And it was a purulent angina. I did not immediately understand what happened to me, I’ve had fever for a whole week, went to the hospital with our doctor. And after the angina, I lost my shape, I was literally exhausted after one round. So I called the office to explain the situation and withdrew from the fight.
Alexei is very tough, really very strong: he throws hard strikes, he’s a brave, strong-willed guy. Once we were discussing the fights with the matchmaker and started talking about Butorin. The initiative was mine. Then he got a call and agreed immediately. We will have a significant difference size-wise, because I used to fight in the 77 kilograms division. And before joining the ACB he used to be in the 93 kilograms division, that is, a light heavyweight one . Yes, it will be a contender fight. I think that we will show a really spectacular fight, and many fans will want to visit this grandiose tournament.
He won two fights. And the last fight speaks volumes, he showed character, went ahead and defeated a very good striker.
Speaking about my chances in this fight: as you noticed, I'm unpredictable in battle. Any fighter of our division understands that I can fight both in stand-up and on the ground. In general, where it is convenient for me. This indicates that the fight will go the way I want it to be. Yes, he fought with high-level strikers, but did not test himself against wrestlers. Fighting with me will be a good test for him. But I’ve already fought in the ACB against good strikers: Khandozhko, Gadzhidaudov, Tsaryov. All of them were strong strikers. And by the Will of the Most High, I defeated them. I beat them both in stand-up and on the ground. I think that my striking techniques should not be neglected.
And finally - the battle with Vasilevsky is not far off. He fights in July, and I do in August. At the end of the year let's see who becomes the middleweight champion.
