By Alexey Sukachev

Khabib Allakhveridev (19-2, 9 KOs), one of Russia’s top fighters and former WBA light welterweight champion, is back in training and plans to make another title attempt sooner than later.

“I wish to inform boxing fans and my personal supporters that I’m back to the gym and that I’m seriously interested in getting my title back”, wrote Allakhverdiev, 33, on social media.

Having fought obscure opponents for the first four years of his career, Allakhverdiev, also known as The Hawk, exploded with a streak of five notable wins – over Nate Campbell, Ignacio Mendoza, Kaizer Mabuza, Joan Guzman and Souleymane M’Baye – all inside the scheduled distance.

He then lost his WBA and IBO titles on a questionable decision to Jessie Vargas in April 2014. Khabib made a comeback in a year and a half but was stopped by Adrien Broner with seconds left in the twelfth and final round for the vacant WBA belt.

Broner lost the title on the scale in April, after he was unable to make the junior welterweight limit for a scheduled defense against Ashley Theophane. Because Theophane was stopped in the contest, the WBA title became vacant.

The WBA title was later captured by Scottish fighter Rick Burns, who clinically dispatched Michele Di Rocco to add the vacant strap in May. Burns is scheduled to make a mandatory defense of the belt against challenger Kiryl Relikh at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on Friday October 7.