Pawel Kolodziej: record, next fight and profile →
Polish promoter Martin Mikolajczak had a difficult night on September 4th in Ostrava, Czech Republic, when several fights, including the main event, fell apart at the last minute.
German Faecher Sports, headed by Christian Titze and Wolfgang Fahrer, have reached an agreement for an IBF eliminator at super middleweight between former IBF champ Caleb Truax (31-5-2) and Evgeny Shvedenko (15-0). Date and site will be announced later but the fight will go ahead in Germany during October, reports boxen1.com.
MOSCOW - Denis Lebedev of Russia successfully defended his WBA cruiserweight title when he knocked out Pawel Kolodziej of Poland on Saturday. Lebedev floored Kolodziej with a left in the second round to keep his title at the Dynamo Sports Palace. Lebedev (26-2, 20KO) gave Kolodziej his first career defeat after 33 wins. It was Lebedev's first fight since May 2013. It came after a scheduled rematch against Panama's Guillermo Jones was called off in April when Jones failed a drug test. That rematch was mandated after Jones beat Lebedev for the belt last year, only to test positive for a banned substance on that occasion, too.
The least significant of the three cruiserweight bouts on the show saw Andrey Knyazev pick up his third straight after scoring a 4th round stoppage of Georgian boxer Shalva Jomardashvili. Knyazev (11-1, 6KOs) applied pressure before forcing Jomardashvili (37-9-2, 28KOs) to quit. The official time was 1:10 of round four.
There would not be any late round heroics for Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, whose thrilling cruiserweight title reign came to a close Saturday evening in Moscow. Grigory Drozd proved too much to handle for the visiting titlist, claiming a landslide unanimous decision in a fight that went a long way towards justifying early career accolades as one to watch.
On Saturday evening, Poland will take on Russia in a pair of cruiserweight title fights. Krzysztof Wlodarczyk puts his WBC belt on the line against Grigory Drozd. While Pawel Kolodziej will attempt to win the WBA strap from Denis Lebedev. Kolodziej is grateful for his chance and doesn’t intend to let it slip through his fingers. “It is a great opportunity!” Kolodziej told BoxingScene.com last week. “It’s the most important fight for me in my whole boxing career.”
All parties made their required weight limit for Saturday's big show in Moscow. The card is topped by a pair of cruiserweight title fights pitting Russia versus Poland. The main event features Krzysztof Wlodarczyk in the seventh defense of his second tour as cruiserweight champ. The recently-turned 33-year old fights outside of Poland for his third straight fight, as he faces top contender Grigory Drozd. Both fighters were well within the cruiserweight limit. Wlodarczyk (49-2-1, 35KOs) weighed in at a fighting ready 199 lb. for his second fight in Moscow in his past three starts. Russia's Drozd (38-1, 27KOs) tipped the scales at 198.2 lb. for his first world title fight. The co-feature showcases Denis Lebedev in a long-awaited ring return, as he defends his portion of the cruiserweight title versus Poland's Pawel Kolodziej. Lebedev (25-2, 19KOs) weighed in at a fighting ready 198.6 lb.; Kolodziej (33-0, 18KOs) came in right at the cruiserweight limit of 200 lb. in what is also his first crack at a world title.
Freddie Roach, the trainer of WBA cruiserweight world champion Denis Lebedev (25-2, 19KOs), says his client will impress in Saturday's defense against Pawel Kolodziej of Poland at the Dynamo Palace of Sports in Moscow, Russia. Lebdev returns for the first time since last May's eleven round knockout defeat to Guillermo Jones. Lebedev took a beating in the match.
The Renaissance Hotel, not far from the “Dynamo” Ice Palace in Khodynka, Moscow, Russia, was a point of frenetic power, cloaked in nervousness and hardly hidden anticipation, as key figures for the Saturday major Russian vs. Poland doubleheader addressed some words to media in attendance.
Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach did a lot of work with 35-year-old Russian boxer Denis Lebedev (25-2, 19KOs), who defends his WBA cruiserweight championship against undefeated Polish challenger Pawel Kolodziej (33-0, 18KOs) on Saturday night at the Dynamo Palace of Sports in Krylatskoye, Moscow, Russia.