By Alexey Sukachev

It looks like a cold war between two leading Russian promoters Vladimir Hryunov and Kirill Pchelnikov is slowly heating up. In his recent interview with R-Sport, Pchelnikov, who handles a good share of ex-Soviet prizefighters, including Dmitry Pirog and heavyweight prospect Vyacheslav Glazkov, showed his interest in adding a fallen champ Denis Lebedev, who was previously promoted by his rival, to the team.

"I know the conflict between them [Hryunov and Lebedev] has been brewing for quite a time. It all led to the decision, made by Denis. Did I have any contacts with Denis? No, I hadn't. But if he choses to ask me for the support, I'll be very glad to respond and assist him in his cause. Denis Lebedev is one of Russia's best boxers", said Pchelnikov.

Denis Lebedev (25-2, 19 KOs), who suffered a hard loss via the eleventh-round TKO to then-WBA champion Guillermo Jones in mid-May, announced his break from Team Hryunov the last week, citing personal issues as the reason for a change.