By James Slater: I admit I’m very much intrigued by the upcoming James Toney-Denis Lebedev clash set for Russia on November 4th. Toney seems to have knuckled down to hard training for what will surely be his last chance at doing anything meaningful in the sport again. I want to see if Toney’s skills can prove superior to Lebedev’s raw power.
The card set for Moscow has added interest, though, in the form of two former champions boxing on the under-card. According to Boxrec, former World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight champ Sam Peter will face unbeaten Ukraine hope Vyacheslav Glazkov, 9-0(6) over a scheduled ten-rounds, and former WBC cruiserweight ruler Wayne “Big Truck” Braithwaite will face Ali Ismailov over a scheduled eight-rounds.
Also on the card will be unbeaten bantamweight contender Alexander Bakhtin Vs. Leon Moore and light-heavyweight contender Ismayl Sillakh Vs. Maxim Vlasov. Heavyweight veteran Sherman “Tank” Williams (who is sparring with Lebedev) is also set to make an appearance against a TBA.
The fight between “Nigerian Nightmare” Peter and prospect Glazkov will interest quite a few fans.
Peter, 34-5(27) has not fought since his April loss to Robert Helenuis. The 31-year-old will always have a puncher’s chance, but it must be somewhat demeaning for the former champ to be going in with a relative novice (at pro level) such as the 26-year-old. But there is a good chance Peter will lose this fight.
A former amateur star who fought top names like Odlanier Soils, David Price and Kubrat Pulev in his unpaid days, Glazkov is a young and hungry fighter with a ton of ambition. Having been moved fast as a pro (in his last fight, he beat a guy who was 33-5 coming in), the 6’3” approx 220-pounder has already caught the eye of some experts. Not a monster-sized heavyweight, Glazkov may still have too much power and strength for the faded Peter. Still, as a test against a recognisable name, the fight makes sense for the up-and-comer. It’s hard not to feel sorry for Peter, though. Is he being used as a veritable punching bag these days?
There may also be some interest in the return of Braithwaite. The man from Guyana is 36 now and he has not boxed since a March 2010 win over Adam Harris. How much has “Big Truck,” 24-4(20) got left? The southpaw who has been stopped just once (by Guillermo Jones) will face a fellow veteran in the 37-year-old, 18-7-1(13) Ismailov.
A good fighter in his day (even getting as far as challenging for the WBO 200-pound belt), the man from Saint Petersburg has been in with good names like Lebedev, Victor Emilio Ramirez, Jozsef Nagy and Yoan Pablo Hernandez – the problem is he lost to them all. Loser of his last four, Ismailov shouldn’t be able to defeat Braithwaite; not unless he’s totally shot, that is.