One of the main events of the upcoming weekend in world boxing will be a fight with the participation of Denis Lebedev. In the Krasnoyarsk Sports Palace. Ivan Yarygin will hold his battle with South African Tabiso Mchunu, and the vacant WBC Silver title in the first heavyweight will be at stake. This fight might not have caused such a stir if it had not been for the Russians to be the first after his “retirement” to sports retirement. In July, he announced his retirement, but could not sit idle for a long time.
It is worth noting that initially Lebedev wanted to fight with another opponent. As the athlete himself admitted, he considered the idea of meeting with Ilunga Makaba, a mandatory contender for the belt of the WBC world champion. In the last battles, he prevailed over Dmitry Kudryashov and Alexei Papin, which greatly hurt Denis. The Russian decided to avenge his compatriots, and his side even initiated negotiations with representatives of the Congolese.
However, agreement was not reached. The African has signed a contract with the legendary promoter Don King, who is in strained relations with the head of the World of Boxing company Andrei Ryabinsky. Negotiations ceased, and Lebedev found another opponent. It was Mchunu, who had previously fought with Makabu. In 2015, the athletes met each other at a tournament in Durban, and Ilonga took over by knockout in the 11th round.
Lebedev himself said that Mchunu is an “exact copy” of the mandatory candidate for the WBC title. But if in terms of style they can be similar, then the South African's track record looks noticeably more modest. So, he spent 26 fights, in 21 of which he won. Most of them came at the beginning of a career and were obtained in duels with compatriots and other representatives of Africa, which somewhat levels their importance. The most successful period in Tabiso's career came in 2013 and 2014, when he alternately took over Eddie Chambers and Olanrevaju Durodola. At one time, the American fought for the world heavyweight champion with Vladimir Klitschko, and the Nigerian managed to be remembered for his colorful victory over the same Kudryashov.
As it became clear after replacing Makaba with Mchuna, the vendetta for compatriots was not the only reason Lebedev decided to put on gloves again. Apparently, he was seriously influenced by his peer Alexander Povetkin, who continues to perform successfully even at the age of 40. Starting in September 2018, a heavyweight veteran spent three fights. In a duel with Anthony Joshua, he suffered his first knockout defeat in his career, but was able to pack up and take the upper hand over Huey Fury. In December, a Russian could even become a mandatory contender for the WBA regular world title, but his battle with Michael Hunter ended in a draw.
As Lebedev himself noted, it was precisely the achievements and will power of Povetkin that inspired him to resume his career. Despite his age, Alexander not only practices hard and regularly fights, but also performs outside his native country. Since March 2018, he has had four fights, three of which took place in the UK, and one more in Saudi Arabia. But before that, the heavyweight did not leave Russia for six years.
“Every time I have a pause ... Have you heard about the expression“ the skin itches ”? I seem to be gone. But I watch the fights, I see how Sanya is fighting. We live in one city - Chekhov. He's getting ready. We meet while jogging in the stadium. I’ll come to the gym as if to my home, and there Povetkin’s training, ”Lebedev told“ Soviet Sport ”.
Perhaps Povetkin’s desire to continue to develop even at such a mature age was reflected in Lebedev. In part, their careers are similar, at least in the fact that for a long time both did not leave Russia. After a controversial defeat from Marco Hook in 2010, Denis fought for nine years in his homeland, making an exception only to confront Mike Wilson. Boxing evening took place in Monaco. Given this, the battle with Mchunu could be the beginning of a new stage in the athlete’s career and inspire him to another trip abroad.
One should not exclude the fact that Lebedev’s return is one-time in nature and can be dictated solely by the desire to earn. Boxing is very popular in the country, which is shown not only by fights involving Sergey Kovalev, but also by crossover fights between Alexander Emelyanenko and Mikhail Koklyaev. A figure like Denis will surely attract the attention of the audience, which guarantees him a solid fee. And meeting with less skilled opponents significantly reduces the risk.
However, it is wrong to reproach Lebedev for wanting to earn money with what he loves. Of course, duels with the strongest boxers of the planet are always expected from an athlete of this class, but he will not be the first to decide to continue to fight in adulthood to improve his financial condition. Suffice it to recall the 39-year-old Eduard Troyanovsky, who recently prevailed over the little-known Joseph Zagradnik. In addition, there is an example of the legendary Roy Jones, Jr., who continued to fight until 49 years old.
It is possible that Lebedev will continue to please his fans after the battle with Mchunu, whose favorite he is rightly considered to be. He possesses a sufficient level of skill to fight with opponents of the Tobiso and Khizni Altynka level until the age of 45. Of course, every year it will be difficult for him to take a step forward and return to the elite again, but it is not yet clear whether Denis himself needs this. For the past three years, he has fought exclusively with weaker opponents and only once declared his desire to face off with a top athlete. But at that time, Alexander Usik, the absolute champion in the first heavyweight division, moved to a more prestigious division.
“The motivation for my return is very simple: boxing in my veins and veins. I couldn’t just pick up and leave. Although I thought it would work out, ”the press service of the Boxing Federation of Russia quotes Lebedev.
Thus, most likely for Lebedev the upcoming battle seems to be an opportunity not to once again rise to the top of the sport, but to satisfy sports hunger. Denis has already achieved solid heights and is rightly considered one of the best Russian boxers of the 21st century. Victory or defeat in the battle with Mchunu will not affect his status in any way, but can bring satisfaction to both himself and his fans.