Sergey Lipinets-Kudratillo Abdukakhorov interim title fight possible for Wilder-Fury II

February 22nd may see a welterweight firefight before Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury attempt to settle their score. IBF #1 contender Kudratillo Abdukakhorov tells Uzbek sports site Olamsport that he will face #3 Sergey Lipinets for the interim title on the Las Vegas pay-per-view.

Interim titles are generally stupid and useless, but Errol Spence Jr.l has yet to reveal a timetable for his return, so this looks to be a rare justified case. Plus, this should be a terrific scrap between two face-first bruisers. I ain’t complaining, and you all know how much I love to complain.

Lipinets (16-1, 12 KO), who claimed the super lightweight belt in 2017 and lost it in a competitive battle with Mikey Garcia soon after, had a rough entry to the welterweight ranks, controversially scraping past veteran Erick Bone. He appears to have found his footing, however, knocking out Lamont Peterson and Jayar Inson during his 2019 campaign.

Abdukakhorov (17-0, 9 KO) claimed mandatory status in 2019 with a decision over Keita Obara and stayed busy by taking a technical decision over Luis Collazo seven months later. Like Lipinets, he’s technically limited but makes up for it with sheer aggression.

This should be must-watch TV.

Other names currently linked to the card include Emanuel Navarrete and Amir Imam.