By Mike Coppinger
Fresh off his victory over Mateusz Masternak, Youri Kalenga wants a piece of the big guns at cruiserweight.
Kalenga (20-1, 13 KOs) won the WBA interim title in the bout, and now stands in line for a shot at the division's "full" champion for the WBA, Denis Lebedev.
Kalenga is willing to travel to Moscow for the opportunity, but he would prefer if his promoter King Sports could do the fight stateside.
'Myself and Lebedev would fight in the center of the ring and I wouldn't have to chase him," Kalenga told BoxingScene.com. "I want the WBA strap now and I will put in the hard work needed to push a fast pace for 12 rounds if needed."
The power-punching Kalenga (managed by Gary Hyde) is the mandatory challenger to Lebedev, so it's a matter of if, not when. Lebedev (25-2, 19 KOs) was slated to rematch Guillermo Jones in April, but the fight fell through after yet another failed drug test for Jones.
Lebedev hasn't fought since May 2013.
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