Lebedev, Kalenga Ready To Trade Big Shots in Moscow

By Alexey Sukachev

The scene has been set for the first major boxing event in Russia this year. Its stars and chief competitors – WBA cruiserweight champion Denis Lebedev and WBA interim cruiserweight titleholder Youri Kayembre Kalenga – faced each other in the conclusion of a mutually respective presser, which has been held at Hotel Renaissances Monarch Center in Moscow, Russia. Also taking part in the presser was promoter of the event Andrey Ryabinskiy and light welterweights Eduard Troyanovskiy and Aik Shakhnazaryan, who will clash against each other for a vacant IBO 140lb title co-feature.

Here are the most interesting quotes.

Denis Lebedev

Regarding his image (Lebedev was sporting a ginger beard), “Well, actually, I don’t think that I have drastically changed my look. It was a sudden turn of events. I went to America for the camp already unshaven, and then I just had no time to pick up an old-fashioned razor (laughs). Kids told me it was all right, and my daughter Olesya said that I was looking cool this way so I chose to stick up to this look. I’ll get back to my usual style after the fight”.

Regarding the camp, “It was great. I had no problems and even a small break hasn’t disturbed me as I’ve taken some much needed time off. I’m eagerly waiting for the contest ahead”.

On his opponent, “I know he is younger but that doesn’t bother me. Age isn’t the most important thing in boxing. I clearly expect a tough fight because of the fact Kalenga is stronger than my previous opponent (Pawel Kolodziej). I like his mentality, his desire to come in and fight whenever he is forced to. He reminds me of Rakhim Chakhkiev. However, Rakhim is a southpaw, and Youri is a different story”.

About a nutritionist in his camp, “My preparations have accidentally coincided with Ruslan’s (Provodnikov) camp. I noticed they were using one in the camp, so I asked them to introduce me and to taste something new. Not a cheap specialist he is but, thanks to Mr. Ryabinskiy, I was funded to employ him, and now I feel myself clearly fresher. That was a great experience”.

Speaking about Ernie Zavala, “He is Freddie Roach’s right hand. We’ve been working all camp long while Freddie was doing some overseering in the gym. Together we formed a great team, and I don’t even need any translator as I understand clearly what Ernesto wants from me”.

Youri Kayembre Kalenga

About Lebedev, “I’ve been in the camp for quite a time. And I’ve studied Lebedev’s tapes perfectly. He is known for his durability but I know I’ll take his belt with me. I’ve been boxing my entire life; my father was a professional boxer so I feel no fear. I’m here to defeat Lebedev and take his title”.

About his preparations, “We’ve been preparing seriously for this fight. I chose another city than usual, invited a number of sparring partners, who were in great physical shape and helped me much in the camp. I’m ready for a full distance fight. I can adjust my style to that of the opponent in front of me, and that is exactly what I’m planning to do against Lebedev”.

On soccer, “Football is my childhood dream. I would have become a soccer player, hadn’t I become a boxer but my family was all about boxing so it’s pugilism now. As for me, I continue rumbling soccer with assistance of Sony PlayStation. As for my look (resembling Italian international star Mario Balotelli) – I started my pro career much earlier than Mario”.

Regarding the best fighters in his weight class, “I respect everyone who accomplishes a hard task of a prizefighter, and who is an honest warrior. Denis (Lebedev) is a very durable and tough fella. I’ll also name (Grigoriy) Drozd and (Marko) Huck as two other best fighters in my weight class”.

Andrey Ryabinskiy

Regarding Don King lawsuit, “We’ve won a lawsuit against Mr. King, but he formed an appeal so the whole process isn’t finished yet. We are cool with him taking a new round in legal process. It’s not the cheapest way to spend your spare time but it’s his problems, not ours. Once again, it’s not about money, it’s a matter of principles”.

On some concurrent sportive events in Moscow, “Indeed, we shall have a major volleyball event, and also MMA is coming into our house. But that’s fine, you know. We have our fan base, and I know those interested won’t miss such a pleasant event as the one we are staging. It’s good when people have something to choose from”.

On his future plans, “Next for us is a big card on May 22 with Alexander Povetkin and WBC cruiserweight champion Grigoriy Drozd as its chief headliners. The undercards will be stellar as usual but I won’t reveal it until all the contracts are signed. We’re planning no less than four or five cards this year”.

About his cruiserweight stable (including world titleholders Grigoriy Drozd and Denis Lebedev, and top-10 contenders Rakhim Chakhkiev and Dmitry Kudryashov), “That’s great. We have a chance to snatch all four major belts and to collect them for our country. It’s my dream that all cruiserweight belts will belong to Russian fighters. Unifications? They are surely possible in future but right now our goal is to bring all the titles within the same team. I hope the same might be done in other weight classes as well”.

Light welterweight kayo artist Eduard Troyanovskiy

“I take every opponent seriously but this fight is of greater importance. There’s a belt at stake. I aim to bring the best out of me and to entertain the fans. We had a great camp, and I’m fully ready. I won’t reveal any secrets but you’ll see something entirely new on April 10”.

Victor Petrochenko, Dmitry Pirog’s and Aik Shakhnazaryan’s trainer

“Eduard Troyanovskiy is your typical, classic fighter, who has a good sense of time and distance. He packs a God-given punch, he is a tremendous knockout artist but he is also well-schooled. It’s clearly seen he has a strong support system. For us it’ll be a difficult fight – specifically, given the fact that Aik is coming off a road loss. But we’ve learnt the lesson, and I’m sure Aik can upset Eduard. I hope it’ll be a fan-friendly scrap”.

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The event, promoted by World of Boxing, starts on Friday at 6 PM LT at State Central Concert Hall “Rossiya” (“Russia”), located in Luzhniki, Moscow, Russia. The card will be broadcasted live by Russian TV.

In the main event, TBRB #3 rated cruiserweight Denis Lebedev (26-2, 20 KOs) will risk his WBA title against his mandatory challenger and WBA #1 / TBRB #8 ranked Frenchman (originally from Congo) Youri Kayembre Kalenga  (21-1, 14 KOs).

Lebedev, 35, is making the fourth defense of his title. He is 2-1 doing so with kayo wins over Santander Silgado (KO 4 in Dec. 2012) and Pawel Kolodziej (KO 2 in Sep. 2014) and with a memorable loss to Panamanian Guillermo Jones (TKO 11 in May 2013), which hasn’t been ruled over (unlike it consequences) despite a fact Jones was caught using illegal substances.

Kalenga, 27, put himself on everyone’s radar with a KO 1 win over 20-0 prospect Yago Kiladze in June 2013. He was then upset by 11-18-3 journeyman Arturs Kulikauskis but came back strong with three consecutive stoppage victories, a split decision over Mateusz Masternak for the interim WBA title, and then defended it on the road against Canadian Denton Daley with the last-round stoppage.

In a co-main event, light welterweight terror Eduard Troyanovskiy (20-0, 17 KOs) will contest a vacant IBO light welterweight title with awkward boxer Aik “Humanoid” Shakhnazaryan (15-1, 6 KOs).

WBA #9 Troyanovskiy, 34, sports a ten-fight stoppage series, which included a TKO over former world champion Jose Alfaro. He is also known for dealing Matt Zegan a stoppage loss in December 2010.

His opponent Aik Shakhnazaryan, 21, had a banner year in 2014, going 6-0, with 4 KOs, which included victories over 25-2 fringe contender Alisher Rakhimov and upset-minded Dominican Felix Lora. However, he was defeated on the UD 8 by little-know Abner Lopez in his American debut in January 2015.

In another twelve-rounder, dangerously punching WBC/WBA #6 and IBF #12 Russian cruiserweight Dmitry Kudryashov (16-0, 16 KOs), who blitzed ex-champion JC Gomez within a minute the last time out, is expected to be tested tough by Puerto-Rican veteran and former two-time world-title challenger Francisco Palacios (23-2, 14 KOs), who is ranked #14 by the WBC.

WBC #1, IBF #5, WBA #11 and TBRB #10 rated cruiserweight Rakhim Chakhkiev (21-1, 16 KOs) aims to stay busy in a warm-up fight against former perennial contender Valery Brudov (42-5, 28 KOs), who has seen some much better days in the past. Chakhkiev is scheduled to take on his EBU mandatory Dmytro Kucher on May 30 in London.

In an international heavyweight contest, WBC #9 rated Manuel Charr (27-2, 16 KOs) will test his mettle against capable Frenchman Johann Duhaupas (31-2, 20 KOs) over ten rounds. And finally, rising light heavyweight star Dmitry Bivol (1-0, 1 KOs) will be checked by much more experienced veteran Konstantin Piternov (18-6, 9 KOs) over six rounds.