Arslanbek Makhmudov and Murat Gassiev (heavyweight)
With the departure of Alexander Povetkin, it might seem to many that Russia was left without strong representatives in the most prestigious boxing division.
However, several applicants are already claiming the place that once belonged to the Russian Knight.
Arslanbek Makhmudov stands out against the general background - an undefeated giant from Mozdok, who has 14 won fights in an ideal track record, each of which ended in a knockout.
And only in four cases, his opponents managed to hold out for more than three minutes.
In general, Makhmudov's path in professional boxing is very similar to that of Artur Beterbiev.
Immediately after the end of his amateur career, he moved to Canada, where he signed an agreement with the promotional company Eye of the Tiger Management, joining a compatriot.
It was there that he spent most of his professional fights, with the exception of one - in July 2021 he went to Mexican Cuernavaca, where he destroyed the Czech Pavel Sour in 30 seconds and won the vacant NABA North American champion title, adding it to the already existing NABF belt .
Now it is Makhmudov who is one of the most protected Russian boxers when it comes to sanctions.
Although he does not yet have Canadian citizenship, his long experience of playing abroad will clearly play in his favor if the promoters manage to knock him out for a world title.
And this may happen in the near future.
Arslanbek is ranked sixth in the WBC and WBA rankings, therefore, can already be considered as one of the belt contenders.
In February, he defeated the first star opponent in his career, having dealt with Mariusz Wach in less than six rounds, and if he defeats another top, he can be considered a full-fledged participant in the championship race.
Especially if Tyson Fury keeps his word and hangs up his gloves, leaving the World Boxing Council champion title vacant.
With Murat Gassiev, everything is somewhat more complicated.
Yes, he is quite high in the IBF ranking (eighth line), but after moving to heavyweight, he cannot boast of either regular performances or victories over strong opponents.
Nuri Seferi arrived in Moscow in a disassembled state, and Michael Wallisch lost miserably to all strong fighters.
A relatively serious test could be the Ukrainian Alexander Rudenko, but Murat broke his arm and refused to fight.
And, apparently, the damage again turned out to be serious.
After all, how else to explain his subsequent refusal to fight Philip Hrgovic for the status of a contender for the belt of the International Boxing Federation.
If you believe the Russian himself, he has already recovered from the injury and is actively training in the gym, but there is no certainty in his triumphant return.
On the one hand, he is still young and has great potential, but health problems cast doubt on his ability to realize it.
And not only many fans think so, but also the head of the International Boxing Association (AIBA), Umar Kremlev.
In December, he openly told the athlete that his time was up.
Alexey Papin and Alexey Egorov (first heavyweight)
Soon, worthy replacements may appear at Gassiev himself, who previously owned two trophies in the division up to 90.7 kg.
Already, two Russians are in the top 3 categories according to the WBC and WBA, but if Aleksey Papin only hopes to achieve the right to fight for the belt, then Aleksey Egorov will get it very soon.
On June 4, in Yerevan, he will face Arsen Gulamiryan in a rescheduled fight.
Initially, the rivals were supposed to meet each other in Yekaterinburg in December 2021, but the Frenchman withdrew due to health problems.
In favor of Yegorov, the fact that after turning professional he never lost and by the age of 30 had “filled” a good record of 11-0.
And although most of the fights with his participation took place at home, the Russian managed to fight abroad.
In the summer of 2018, he arranged a mini-tour of the United States and, with a difference of 48 days, scored two early victories - over journeyman Luther Smith and the once promising Latif Kayode.
Papin does not have such experience.
All 14 fights with his participation took place in Russia, and the next one will also take place there.
According to the promotional company "World of Boxing", now the heavyweight is in Krasnodar, and in May-June he will fight, which will be his first since April 2021.
Then he dealt with Vaclav Peysar in 130 seconds, after which he underwent two operations - on the elbow and shoulder joints.
Perhaps it is precisely with the long downtime that Papin's intention to fight in Russia is connected, where it is not yet possible to organize battles for the world title.
He is already a mandatory contender for the WBC belt and could look forward to facing Ilunga Makabu, but prefers a warm-up fight instead, likely to get back in shape ahead of the all-important rematch.
In 2019, he already fought with the Congolese and lost by a majority decision.
Maxim Vlasov (light heavyweight)
Does not leave attempts to become a champion and a 35-year-old boxer from Samara.
During his career, Maxim Vlasov managed to try his hand at four divisions and was repeatedly one step away from what he wanted, but stumbled at a key moment.
The last time this happened was in April 2021, when he lost in close combat to Joe Smith Jr.
Two judges saw a slight advantage of the American in the ring (115-113, 115-112), and the third one determined a draw.
Thus, the Russian missed the chance to win the belt and stand on a par with compatriots Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol.
And although Vlasov still remains in the top three of the strongest light heavyweights according to the WBO, his task of ascending the throne has become noticeably more complicated.
In June, Smith is scheduled to face Beterbiev in a unification bout, after which the fight for the title of undisputed champion in the division will become extremely tangible.
World boxing and promotional organizations are unlikely to miss the opportunity to arrange such a high-profile and profitable event.
And even if Maxim manages to get the status of the first contender, he will have to wait his turn.
By the way, it will not be easy to do this either.
Above it are located not only the top prospect Gilberto Ramirez, but also Anthony Yard, known to Russian fans for his duel with Sergey Kovalev.
Then he lost by knockout in the 11th round, but made significant progress and again returned to the leading positions in the category.