Lebedev vs Jones review from the v2Journals Steve Bateson

http://v2journal.com/16/post/2013/05/denis-lebedev-vs-guillermo-jones-boxing-17th-may-2013.html

By Steven Bateson

There are a few things we have to come to expect from boxing when it is broadcast live from the Eastern Block, passionate crowds, surreal musical performances and, of course, hard-hitting action. Last night at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow was no different as we were treated to two WBA World Championship clashes, one of which left the crowd in attendance and the audience at home watching through their hands.

When it was announced that Denis Lebedev, the man that came to prominence with a destructive victory over Enzo Maccarinelli, would be defending his Cruiserweight version of the WBA bauble against veteran Guillermo Jones, only one outcome was expected, especially since Jones had been out of action for over a year. The pro-Lebedev crowd in his home country were raucous as he arrived in the arena, but nobody could have guessed what they were about to witness.

Jones, whilst the bigger man, looked fleshy around the middle and Lebedev started the contest in the ascendency. He was moving around and working off his jab, always looking to time Jones into a trademark left hand that would turn out the lights. But as the first round progressed Jones began to find his rhythm and he used his right straight to effectively back Lebedev up and keep him at bay. The punch stats may have not favoured the challenger but the scenes in the ring did, Lebedev ended the round with a nasty cut over his right eye.

Lebedev came out swinging in the next round and he found a home for a beautiful right jab and plenty of promising left hand counters, none of which stiffened the legs of the much older challenger though. Jones continued to plod forward and has success of his own with a right uppercut but it wasn’t enough to keep Lebedev off him and the challenger certainly seemed to have evened it up on the scorecards.

The crowd, who housed martial arts legend Steven Seagal, were right behind their man and he answered their support with more effective work in rounds three and four. He constantly timed a beautiful right jab, left hook combination as well as trapping Jones on the ropes for a spell and working over the body before moving upstairs with uppercuts. Jones, however, was not to be deterred and he sucked it up and continues to come forward, looking for body shots that would slow the champion down. This was turning into a quality affair and it was hard to make any predictions at this point.

Jones began to turn the screw as we moved into the halfway point, now finding a home for his left hand into the increasingly injured right eye of the champion. Lebedev’s face was a mess and although he continued to answer back to every single one of Jones’ punches, it was becoming hard to watch,there was no way that he had clear vision. The referee, however, did not feel it necessary to bring the doctor in and allowed the fight to continue. Lebedev looked tired and Jones was scoring more frequently now with a variety of hooks and bodywork, the tide certainly seemed to be turning.

But anyone who has ever watched Denis Lebedev fight knows that he has major heart and it was on show for all to see last night, he just would not quit. The seventh and eight rounds were his best in the fight and he opened up and a touch of class, jolting the head of Jones’ back with a barrage of left hooks and crosses before slamming a ramrod jab into the face of his challenger. Jones, though, deserves all the credit in the world because he did not wilt under the pressure, in fact, he barely took a step backwards, displaying his immense punch resistance to the disbelieving crowd and the drained champion.

Both men returned to their corners at the end of the eighth round and it was obvious that they were running on pure adrenaline at this point. Many observers and critics had not even anticipated that the fight would go this long so it was a testament to both fighters that they continued to put on a show. The ninth round should have been the end, if the referee had had any competence, as Guillermo Jones changed tactic and switched to southpaw, allowing him to drill a left jab straight into the injured eye of Lebedev over and over again, the champion just could not see anything coming. The swelling was horrific, like a sight from a horror film, and it can be guaranteed that had the roles been reversed in this fight then the official would have had no problem at all in drawing proceedings to a close. But as much as the referee was to blame, so was the corner of Lebedev as they refused to pull their fighter out of the bout. They didn't even have the correct equipment to deal with the injury, instead choosing to press a bag of ice against the eye of the champion in hope that it would reduce the swelling.

It wasn’t that Denis Lebedev was taking a sustained beating and he wasn’t firing back, because he continues to meet Jones in the centre of the ring and trade, it was the fact that the damage to the right eye was potentially career-threatening and each punch that landed was only adding to the problem. The tenth round continued in the same vein, Jones picking his punches with aplomb and increasing the torture that the champion was going through. There was no way that Lebedev wanted to go out like this, but he had very little choice and the eleventh round would be his last.

He came out with the look of a man who had survived a hundred wars in one night, and although the heart of champion still beat inside of him there just wasn’t enough left in the tank to see him through. Jones could smell the blood in the water, nobody had backed him, and he poured forward with a relentless assault that Lebedev just could not discourage. He valiantly tried to fight back but Jones targeted the eye some more and eventually the brave champion was forced to take a knee. The referee, in a moment of clarity that came far too late, waved the contest off and Jones had pulled off the upset. The crowd and the viewers at home were stunned at what they had just witnessed, not only had Jones done the unthinkable but he also stood up to some of the biggest punches imaginable. How this fight didn't end with a knockout for the champion is a mystery.

It was a tremendous fight, of that there can be no doubt, and a definite contender for Fight of the Year, but the brutality of the contest and the unforgivable performance from the referee and Lebedev's corner will most certainly overshadow what both men went through inside the squared circle. Jones was commendable and not many had expected him to be capable of what he did last night, but he showed that he can still mix with the highest company in the Cruiserweight division. Jones is now 39-3-2 with 31 KO’s and he will fancy his chances of taking another high-profile scalp in his next outing.

Continued here - http://v2journal.com/16/post/2013/05/denis-lebedev-vs-guillermo-jones-boxing-17th-may-2013.html

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Really shocked about this, Lebedev is a decent fighter and hits like a train.

REally didnt see this coming. He can still bounce back from this, or if the resident moron has his opinion we will probably be hearing "retire" or "chinny being used

If he does proclaim him to be chinny then he'll look very clueless. It was a good fight, should have been stopped a lot earlier by either the referee, the corner or the doctor. That eye could have lasting damage, and in the end I think Lebedev went down due to exhaustion and just thought enough was enough.

I like Lebedev, he's a solid fight but at that weight I guess one punch can scramble the best of gameplans.

Hated the fact they had him fight Jones Jr, but that beating Jones got was needed to knock some sense into him, unfortunately even a puncher like Denis couldn't even get that through Jones' weak skull

I was very surprised at the outcome of this fight. The layoff has obviously done Jones good rather than made him rusty. Still, once a fighter is cut around the eyes, their opponent will capitalise on it and target the area. Kind of reminiscent of Lewis against Mason way back in 1991, although far more pronounced!