Five years ago, Zaur Abdullaev got a brief taste of boxing’s top tier. He’s been hungry to regain a seat at that exclusive table ever since.

On Sept. 13, 2019, Abdullaev — a Muslim who hails from Russia — was given a shot at the vacant WBC interim lightweight championship. His opponent was Devin Haney, then a 20-year-old rising star whose 22 wins and zero losses gave him an unblemished resume just like Abdullaev, then 25 years old with an 11-0 record. But as they say in the fight game, somebody’s “0” had to go. Haney was just too good that night in New York City, and after the 4th round the fight was stopped with Abdullaev taking a beating and getting his nose broken.

Since then, Haney (who is also Muslim) has moved up in weight and gone on to become one of the biggest superstars in the sport. Abdullaev has been grinding somewhat under the radar, slowly climbing his way back into the title picture at lightweight. Following his most recent fight, a unanimous-decision victory over Roger Gutierrez on February 10, the now 30-year-old Abdullaev is 19-1 with 11 knockouts. He is ranked 10th in the 135-pound division by The Ring magazine. According to the four major sanctioning bodies, he is somewhere between the fifth- and eighth-best lightweight in the world. The WBC has Abdullaev as its 5th-ranked contender for Shakur Stevenson’s championship.

Two times, Abdullaev has been crowned the WBC’s “silver” lightweight champion. But he wants the real title belt — the one that comes along with the official recognition as world champion.

Abdullaev has gone 8-0 since that loss to Haney. All of those fights have taken place in Russia. One of those wins was a decision over former WBC champion Dejan Zlaticanin, and one was a 12th-round TKO against former three-division champion Jorge Linares. His most recent opponent, Gutierrez, is a former WBA champion.

Piling up W’s against recognizable competition is the surest way for Abdullaev to put himself in position to win his first world title. Throwing in some social-media-friendly knockouts would also help create a public appetite for him to fight a titleholder, but that’s not necessarily his style. Although he does have more stoppage wins than decisions as a pro, Abdullaev is the kind of fighter who wears down his opponent with a steady jab and superior conditioning rather than being a one-punch, crunching KO artist.

Earlier this year, Abdullaev’s name had come up in rumors as the next in line to get a title opportunity against Stevenson, but that spot ended up going to Artem Harutyunyan, who will face Stevenson for the WBC belt on July 6.

Abdullaev’s next bout hasn’t been scheduled yet. Whoever he faces, though, it’ll be a must-win scenario for a fighter whose trajectory is pointing toward a chance at championship redemption.