Big fight preview: Denis Lebedev vs James Toney
AGING multi-weight champion James “Lights Out” Toney aims to cause a big upset when he faces hard-punching Russian Denis Lebedev this Friday at the Khodynka Ice Palace, Moscow.
The scheduled twelve-rounder marks Toney’s first contest at the cruiserweight limit since his exciting IBF title-winning effort against Vassily Jirov way back in April 2003. In Toney’s last fight in February, he weighed a career-heaviest 257 lbs in shutting-out perennial club-fighter Damon Reed over ten rounds. It was his first boxing match in fifteen months after an unsuccessful foray into MMA.
Toney, 73-6-3 (44), has made his usual brash predictions in the build up to his 84th professional contest, boldly stating he will “break Lebedev physically and mentally.”
Toney, who won his first world title down at middleweight 20-years-ago against Michael Nunn, claims many world-class fighters have refused to fight him in the last few years and has predicted a fourth-round stoppage against the younger and fresher Lebedev.
Forty-three year-old James turned pro when his Russian foe was just 11-years-old and hasn’t looked anywhere-near his best since losing a highly controversial split-decision against Sam Peter five years ago. Toney was trounced in the rematch and has struggled for form since. James has only taken part in five contests in the four years after the rematch-drubbing to Peter; two of which were split decision `wins over average Danny Batchelder and fringe contender Fres Oquendo.
The consensus is James, in his prime a slick defensive fighter with knockout power in either hand, has left it too late in his long career to drop back down to 200 lbs; dangerous against such a destructive puncher in Lebedev. Former amateur stand-out Denis has knocked out nine straight foes aside from a split-decision reverse against Marco Huck last December for the WBO title.
The fight reminds one of the disastrous move down in weight by former world heavyweight champion Chris Byrd a couple of years ago. Usually a durable fighter, Byrd was shockingly destroyed by light-heavyweight contender Shaun George. Toney will have lost around 60 lbs come the weigh-in to fight the Russian.
Denis Lebedev, 22-1 (17), is a formidable force in the cruiserweight ranks. Since returning from a near-four-year lay-off in 2008, Denis has only been beaten by Huck, a fight many thought he won clearly. The Russian southpaw had risen to prominence with a three-round slaughter of former WBO champion Enzo Maccerinelli two years earlier in Manchester.
In the 32-year-old’s last fight in May he registered a disturbing last-round knock-out of another faded great in Roy Jones Jr. The tough Russian laboured for periods against Jones; one judge even had the Pensacola legend ahead going into the last round. Denis seemed to stagger slightly from a Jones counter midway in the tenth before backing his tiring prey into a corner and brutally finishing the job in clinical fashion. Jones was motionless on the canvas for several worrying moments before regaining consciousness.
Denis has promised to score a similar victory over granite-chinned Toney and become the first man to stop the tank-like former champion since James’ pro debut a staggering 23-years ago.
Final prediction
I don’t envisage an early stoppage either way, Denis will look to put pressure on Toney in the hope of wearing down his more experienced opponent and take over in the fights’ second half. James will look to stay off the ropes and time his counters at his aggressive foe and keep his jab in the Russian’s face. Toney has the superior pure skills, but Denis is no face-first slugger; the Russian was an accomplished amateur who has performed well in his biggest pro tests.
It would be easy to once again to get carried away with the James Toney pre-fight hype-machine and predict a decision win for the experienced American but facts are facts; Toney has only fought twelve rounds (two fights) in three years, is over ten years older, has lost a huge amount of weight and is fighting in Lebedev’s home-territory of Moscow. Providing he has made weight safely, the best “Lights Out” can hope for is to use his considerable ring-smarts to fiddle his way to a decision loss. If James has “crashed” the weight, the slimmed-down former world champion could be in for a painful night. Lebedev is probably the hardest punching cruiserweight in the world and punch-resistance certainly doesn’t get better with age; even with a fighter as durable as James Toney.
Note: The fight is for the interim WBA cruiserweight title, real champion Guillermo Jones defends against the limited Michael Marrone the next night in Florida. The Toney-Lebedev winner will be next in line for the Panamanian champion.
Photo Credit AP
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