By Cliff Rold

Amid the dark cloud that was PED revelations scuttling the much-anticipated Deontay Wilder-Alexander Povetkin bout, a silver lining has been widely overlooked.

That fight is off.

The card is still.

And they’ve got a hell of a chief support bout ready to play violent main event. With players largely unfamiliar to the US audience, there has been no clamor for the new main event to be aired here. That’s a shame. It might be the fight of the week.

Considering the styles and approaches of the combatants, it could be the kind of fight with fight of the year potential. It wouldn’t be the first time at cruiserweight. The bigger than everybody but the heavyweights class has never been shy for action.

In one corner will be 36-year old WBA titlist Denis Lebedev (28-2, 21 KO). He’s regularly been a must-watch fighter. With heavy hands, he is capable of ending fights early. When he doesn’t, we often get excellent action. His loss to Guillermo Jones in 2013, later proven tainted by PED use from Jones, was one of the most savage bouts of this decade. Lebedev also had a memorable encounter, and debatable decision loss, to Marco Huck in 2010.

In the other corner was one of the better comeback stories of 2015. After losing the WBO belt to Marco Huck in 2009, Victor Ramirez didn’t step back into the ring for almost four years. Six wins in a row staring in 2013 culminated last year with a thrilling decision win over perennial contender Ola Afolabi for the then-vacant IBF crown. The 32-year old Argentine Ramirez (22-2-1, 17 KO), like Lebedev, is capable of ending matters early.

It’s better for viewers when he doesn’t. Ramirez isn’t there to play tag. Considering the beards on both men, that could mean a lot of suffering required for glory.

Ramirez has never been stopped. Lebedev’s stoppage loss to Jones was far from an indictment of his whiskers. Lebedev battled through a grossly swollen right eye and fell as much due to exhaustion as anything. With elevated stakes for this one, and home field for Russia’s Lebedev, he’ll have the crowd to boost his sails as well.

Showtime has a solid card featuring several of the best Jr. middleweights in the world this Saturday. American fans will have their boxing fix. It’s a shame this hasn’t been more on the radar because this is the one for the brawling fix.

Will it be available anywhere in the US? For those whose cable packages have Argentine network TyC, the answer should be yes. Scheduling for TyC can be tricky. Currently boxing is scheduled to air on the US version of the network at 7 and 9 PM EST. Check local listings as a live airing would be earlier than that; occasional remote clicks to see if it is one when live no matter the listings is also advisable.

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It’s a good time for a fight like this in the division. We’ve seen some change in what has remained a consistent, if across the Atlantic, gem for several years. Last year, Huck and Krzysztof Glowacki engaged in one of the best cruiserweight fights ever. Glowacki came off the floor and walked through a near standing stoppage to knock Huck silly and end his long WBO title run. It wasn’t quite Holyfield-Qawi or Toney-Jirov, but it holds a fine place the next tier down.

On the rise is super talent Oleksandr Usyk (9-0, 9 KO). A two-time Olympian, 2012 gold medalist, and 2011 world amateur champion, the 29-year old Ukrainian is a 6’3 southpaw with enough skill and size to eventually compete at heavyweight. If there is going to be an equivalent to Evander Holyfield in an emerging new era in the unlimited class, he could be it.

Usyk is already Glowacki’s mandatory. The winner of this Saturday’s battle could also figure in his future. Certain to figure in the future for the Ramirez-Lebedev winner is another 6’3 cruiserweight banger who fans got a look at Tuesday night winning an IBF eliminator. Murat Gassiev (23-0, 17 KO) could also factor in big both in his division and eventually the next one up.

Who knows? Maybe not too long from now a piece like this could be devoted to Usyk-Gassiev. The mouth waters…

That’s just some of the backdrop for what on its own is plenty main event enough this weekend. We’re not getting the fight the most people were looking forward to. It doesn’t mean there isn’t every reason for fights fans to still cast an eye to Moscow this weekend.

Cliff’s Notes…

Civil War was fantastic, as expected, but slot this corner down for the Jungle Book being the best of the megahits so far this year. Either way, good time to be a Disney shareholder…Joseph Parker’s arrival as a contender, or potential exposure, are just days away. It says the former is the case here. Every punch is an inch of leather towards Parker-Anthony Joshua somewhere down the road…Anyone looking to this space to read anything about a retired guy boxing against a guy from another sport should look elsewhere…Jermall Charlo-Austin Trout is really interesting…Erislandy Lara-Vanes Martirosyan is not. Sometimes it doesn’t matter where fighters are rated. Their styles won’t make for a fight.           

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com