Denis Lebedev vs. Guillermo Jones set for Oct 20th

It's a done deal. A purse bid for the WBA cruiserweight championship between reigning (but rarely defending) Panamanian champion Guillermo Jones (38-3-2, 30 KOs) and the interim champion Denis Lebedev (24-1, 18 KOs) of Russia had been cancelled earlier today, as both parties have reached a mutual agreement between each other. The fight is set to take its place on October 20 at the CSKA arena in Moscow.

"Before a purse bid should have been carried out, I had phoned Don King, and after a fruitful conversation through the wires we have solved everything out. Mr. King showed a really constructive position, so we are now awaiting him and his boxer here, in the very heart of our state", said Lebedev's manager and the leading Russian promoter Vladimir Hryunov. "So we are aiming for a super fight in Moscow, and Denis will have a chance to prove his superiority over a very tough opponent".

"That's really a demanding challenge for us [to stage this big event]. We are already feeling a major responsibility for Russian boxing and the Russian fight scene. It's pressure but a positive pressure. I have always considered Denis to be the best boxer in his weight class. Now he has a chance to prove it in the ring. I'm very glad to offer him this opportunity with assistance of the legend of boxing which Don King is", concluded Hryunov.

Lebedev, 32, is rated #1 by both the WBA and the WBO. His best wins came against Enzo Maccarinelli (TKO 3) in 2009 and Alexander Alekseev (KO 2) in 2010, and his soundest performances took place last year against fading ring icons Roy Jones Jr. and James Toney.

Jones is 40 and has defended his title just twice since picking it up with a spectacular stoppage of Firat Arslan in 2008. The Panamanian defeated another Russian Valery Brudov (TKO 11) in 2010, and a suspicious title opponent in Michael Marrone (TKO 6) a year after that.

NJBeatdown86 wrote:Will Jones even make into the ring?