*** The official Denis "The White Swan" Lebedev strategic bombing flight path! ***

This hard-punching Russian southpaw is making his presence known, and the Cruiserweight division is trembling!

Lebedev (who last name actually means "the swan", and whose nickname is an allusion to the Tupolev Tu-160 aka the White Swan, a powerful Russian bomber aircraft) turned professional at 21 after a modest amateur career. Over three and a half years he amassed a record of 13-0 (8 knockouts) against meager opposition, mostly at home in Russia. His best win during this period was against American journeyman Berry Butler (the first person to take Antonio Tarver the scheduled distance), whom he brutally knocked out in memorable fashion.

Lebedev was then inactive for almost four whole years due to the unavailability of substantial enough paydays to earn his living as a prizefighter - working odd jobs from the summer of 2004 until the end of summer of 2008 - until rediscovering his passion and joining Alexander Povetkin's camp. He has kept very busy and motivated in the two years since.

He has won eight times in a row, and stopped all eight opponents. The level of competition has steadily been increasing over the last five - starting with contender Eliseo Castillo (who shared a ring with a pre-championship Wladimir Klitschko), then former champ Enzo Maccarinelli, a former Olympian in the rated Ali Ismailov, a fellow KO artist in Mexico's Ignacio "Caguamo" Esparza, and culminating with a two-round destruction of countryman Alexander Alexeev - formerly a highly touted prospect who is/was on the comeback trail after quitting against brief WBO champion Victor Emilio Ramirez.

The win over Alexeev was an eliminator for the WBO title, setting Lebedev up for a shot at dominant German champion Marco "Kap'n Huck - himself a heavy puncher.

With power in both hands set up behind the right jab, decent boxing ability featuring an ever improving defense (including the recent addition of a shoulder roll), a seemingly very good chin, and the confidence of having never lost, Lebedev brings a lot to the table as a challenger - and may just walk away with every chip in the pot with his wildcard of a left cross.

Watch his progress throughout his return to the ring:

KO1 ARCHIL MEZVRISHVILI (8-2), 2008
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TKO2 NICK OKOTH (6-19-4), 2008
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TKO4 DZMITRI ADZAMOVICH (14-20), 2008
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TKO5 ELISEO CASTILLO (20-2-1), 2009
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TKO3 ENZO MACCARINELLI (29-3), 2009
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RTD6 ALI ISMAILOV (16-2-1), 2009
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KO4 IGNACIO ESPARZA (16-1), 2010
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KO2 ALEXANDER ALEXEEV (19-1), 2010
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COMBINED RECORD OF ALL CAREER OPPONENTS: 208-114-11 (62% WINNING PERCENTAGE)

COMBINED RECORD OF LAST EIGHT OPPONENTS: 128-50-8 (69% WINNING PERCENTAGE)

COMBINED RECORD OF LAST FIVE OPPONENTS: 100-9-2 (90% WINNING PERCENTAGE)

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I tend to agree.

He's not terribly fast, so he's had to augment his power with solid fundamentals and learn the delicate art of timing to compensate. Offensively, he's got it all down - accuracy, combination punching where appropriate, the right jab to set up heavier shots, and good finishing instinct tempered by patience as you said. The only area for improvement left is defense and even that isn't really terrible, willful jab-gobbling aside.

I favor him to upset Huck and then hang on to the WBO title for a few years. Huck will try to box with him and realize that they are not on separate levels in terms of fundamental skill; Huck will then fall back on his safety net - his own power. Ultimately Lebedev's superior strength and chin will win out when - not if - it becomes a brawl.

The only cruiser I'd favor heavily over him is indeed Cunningham should they look to unify. Lebedev could certainly drop the IBF champ once or twice, as Adamek did - but Cunningham has great recuperative powers and ring awareness, and is very tricky and built to survive. He also comes on strong late, in the "money rounds". He's never been stopped, and his points losses were both very close. The left jab and the lead right of the tall and long-armed Cunningham could keep the 4-inch-shorter Lebedev from getting anything going over the long haul.

As for the rest of the field - Lebedev would probably win brief and violent wars of attrition with the likes of Green or Ross or (contrary to what Maccarinelli thinks) Braithwaite, and would catch up to other slick operators like Flores and Godfrey (both slower than Cunningham and with less big-fight veteran's savvy) and stop them late...perhaps from behind on the scorecards. The White Swan vs. Diablo Wlodarczyk would be fun while it lasted, but ultimately the Pole would be chopped down. Afolabi might last long enough to lose a decision, while fringe guys like Hide and Herelius would simply be blown out.

All things considered - yeah, he's my prohibitive #2 at the weight based on ability right now.

He's a bit small to follow in the footsteps of other successful Cruisers that moved up. He's quite a bit shorter than both Adamek and Haye, and we know what an uphill battle it is for short heavies...even for swarmers like Tyson and Tua. Besides, Lebedev himself isn't really a swarmer, he's a boxer with a big punch and in no particular hurry to land it - his style is more like the current Tua than the prime 90's version (except more skilled).

So once he takes Huck's belt and defends it a couple of times - I would actually look down the scale, rather than up to find the next challenge.

I might be alone in this, but one potential fight that already has me salivating is the war that would be Lebedev vs. Shumenov, if and when Beibut moves up (as his body type and age suggest as possible). The Kazakh banger has already exceeded the light heavyweight limit a few times in his short 10-fight career, once competing as high as 185lbs, and is three inches taller than Lebedev. This would just be a pure slugging match between two juggernauts with good chins, an unstoppable force and an immovable object...maybe a FOTY. Lebedev is more disciplined and the stockier man, so he'd be my cautious favorite - but Beibut has the more extensive amateur background and is one crazy SOB, willing to take unreasonable punishment to dish it back out.

 

Oh yeah - if anybody knows of or comes across a video (or even an animated GIF image) of the Berry Butler KO - please bring it to this thread. I'd love to add it to the video gallery above to not only include a shining moment from before the layoff, but also to help illustrate what a long and winding road to the top it's been for Denis since that promising display of punching back in 2003. It was all the way back on the undercard of Ottke-Mitchell.

 

Depending on how Huck-Godfrey goes next month...

Lebedev KO6 Huck

or

Lebedev TKO10 Godfrey

 

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Awesome pics, boksyor! :happy I searched all over the web for an image of Denis in his blue beret but couldn't turn one up - well done!

 

He looks so much like an innocent little kid sometimes. :yep

Some media blurbs have described him as having the appearance of a "street fighter" or thug...I just don't see it, personally.

It's like the head of a prepubescent boy was grafted onto this savage beast-man.