Alexander Besputin fended off Radzhab Butaev to become a secondary welterweight champion Saturday night.

Besputin boxed his way to winning their battle between unbeaten Russians by unanimous decision at Casino de Monte Carlo in Monte Carlo. The left-handed Besputin (14-0, 9 KOs) out-worked Butaev (12-1, 9 KOs) to win by the same score, 116-112, on all three cards in their 12-round, 147-pound championship match.

Besputin, 28, won a vacant version of the WBA’s welterweight title. Manny Pacquiao, who owns the WBA’s “super” welterweight championship, is that sanctioning organization’s true champion in the 147-pound division.

Besputin continued to out-box Butaev in the 11th and 12th rounds, as Butaev tried to land a fight-changing punch. A straight left by Besputin stopped Butaev in his tracks with about 15 seconds left in that three-minute period.

Besputin nailed Butaev with a straight left hand just as the bell sounded to end the 10th round.

Besputin consistently landed to Butaev’s body and quickly got out of Butaev’s punching range during the ninth round. Butaev belted Besputin with a counter left hook during an entertaining exchange late in the ninth.

Besputin boxed and moved his way to controlling the eighth round. He landed a right-left combination in that round, as well as a hard right to Butaev’s body.

Besputin out-worked Butaev throughout the seventh round. He also knocked Butaev off balance with a right hand in that round.

Besputin blasted Butaev with an overhand left when there were about 50 seconds to go in the sixth round. Butaev took that shot well, as he did a counter left by Besputin toward the end of the sixth round.

Besputin began the fifth round strong by backing up Butaev with a straight left hand as soon as it started.

Butaev’s counter right hand knocked Besputin off balance with 1:45 to go in the fifth. Bestputin went down with exactly one minute remaining in the fifth, but it was the result of their feet getting tangled.

A right uppercut by Butaev caught Besputin with just under a minute to go in the fourth round. Besputin’s left uppercut caught Butaev earlier in the fourth.

Butaev caught Besputin with a right hand to the side of his head. Besputin complained to Guillermo Perez-Pineda that Butaev’s punch landed to the back of his head.

With 2:05 to go in the third, Perez-Pineda warned Butaev for landing a right below Besputin’s belt.

Butaev landed a hard right to Besputin’s body later in the third.

Besputin landed a hard right hand to the side of Butaev’s head just before the halfway point of the second round. Butaev stood against the ropes, with his hands down, as if to show Besputin that his punch didn’t hurt. 

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.