The Russian invasion of the cruiserweight division continued on Friday night at the Luzhniki arena in Moscow. All three Russian cruiser weights, Grigory Drozd, Rakhim Chakhkiev and Dmitri Kudryashov who fought on the under-card of Povetkin/Perez stopped their opponents and established Russian as the official language of the division. Oleksandr Usyk of the Ukraine must be mentioned as a potential game-changer in the division and he speaks fluent Russian as well. Marco Huck (Muamer Hukic) has studied Russian at school in his native Serbia as a boy but it will hardly help him come to terms with the advancing troops. Huck had an extremely hard time with Dennis Lebedev and the new guard seems tougher.
Dmitry Kudryashov
Live On BoxNation Tomorrow: Povetkin/Perez Plus Exciting KO Artists Kudryashov, Chakhkiev!
Photo: vsenabox.ru – The titanic heavyweight clash between big-hitters Alexander Povetkin and Mike Perez to see who will be next up for a shot at Deontay Wilder’s WBC title will be screened live and exclusive on BoxNation on May 22.
The pair meet at Luzhniki Arena in Moscow as they compete in a final eliminator for a chance to fight for the illustrious WBC green belt which was captured by the flashy and charismatic Wilder earlier this year when he overcame the brave Bermane Stiverne.
Povetkin and Perez, rated number one and two respectively by the WBC, are two of the very best heavyweights around and share only a single defeat each on their records, with 35-year-old Povetkin’s coming against the legendary Wladimir Klitschko two years ago.
The Russian invasion of the cruiserweight division
They have arrived with a bang. A knock out bang that is resonating through the cruiser weight division so loudly … more “The Russian invasion of the cruiserweight division”
A cruiserweight monster in the making – Dmitry Kudryashov
Dmitry Kudryashov, 17-0 (KO 17), a name widely unfamiliar to the boxing public, has emerged as a rising force and a sure-fire championship prospect. His latest fight took place on April 10 in Moscow on the Lebedev – Kalenga undercard when he defended his WBA Int’l cruiser weight title against seasoned Puerto Rican contender Francisco Palacios. Palacios went the distance twice with former WBC World champ Wlodarsczyk and was supposed to challenge the basically untested Russian who had other plans. Kudryashov boxed stylishly behind a tight high guard scanning for openings before he threw a double left hook, to the ribs and to the temple and put Palacios out cold. As soon as the referee stopped counting he called for first aid and the fallen warrior needed a minute or two before he woke up and a couple more before he was able to get up and sit on his chair. It was a scary ending which replaced the usual celebration of the winner with relief at the recovery of the opponent. The fight lasted 52 seconds.
Lebedev beats Kalenga; Brutal Undercard KO Extravaganza In Russia!
In an outstanding cruiserweight war, Number 1 Ranked Contender YOURI “El Toro” KALENGA was in the biggest fight of his life on Friday night in Moscow, Russia, challenging World Boxing Association (‘WBA’) Champion DENIS LEBEDEV.
With each warrior being dropped once during the 12-round battle, judges’ scores were 115-112 twice and 116-111 for Lebedev.
“I tip my hat to Lebedev, he’s a great fighter and perhaps I’ll get another chance to face him. He’s without question the toughest fighter I’ve faced but I thought I clearly won the fight,” said the disappointed Kalenga.