Denis Lebedev's biography is full of bright sports victories and triumphs. This boxer is a clear example of the strength of the Russian spirit and will. In an interview, Lebedev said that it was easier to kill than to take the belt in the ring. One cannot disagree with this! Boxing biography of Denis Lebedev knows almost no setbacks and defeats, with the exception of two cases. During his career, he lost only two times - to 5-time world champion German Marko Huk (although many believed that the Russian was to win in this fight) and compatriot Murat Gassiev (Lebedev’s first defense of the IBF title).
Denis Lebedev: biography and career
Denis' hometown is Stary Oskol, and here he was born on August 14th in 1979. In his family, everyone was involved in sports - his father and older brother were boxers, and his mother was a gymnast. At the age of six, Denis enrolled in the gymnastics section, but a few years later he quit the sport and went into boxing. I quickly got used to it and began to show good results. So, in 1997, he went to the amateur European Championship in Birmingham (England), where he won first place.
A few years later he was drafted into the army, in CSKA (central sports complex), where he continues to train hard and prepare for a professional career.
After demobilization, he began to perform in light heavyweight. From 2001 to 2004 he spent 13 victorious battles, after which he decided to leave the big box. According to Denis himself, he made a choice in favor of the family.
Denis Lebedev: biography and family
In his school years, Lebedev met his love. Her name is Anna, she is fond of music and knows all the rules of boxing by heart. Spouses raise three daughters, who also play sports. In several interviews, Denis Lebedev claimed that the best support comes from his wife, for which he appreciates and loves her. Denis Lebedev’s sports biography (the boxer’s family in the photo below) was interrupted for 4 years (from 2004 to 2008) due to the fact that the athlete decided to devote himself to home and not to training.
Denis Lebedev is currently
Today, the boxer lives in the city of Chekhov (Moscow region). Lebedev continues to train, as well as educate his daughters and delight his beloved wife.
At one time, Denis was coached by Russian ex-boxer and professional Kostya Dzyu. Together they achieved incredible success, defeating such rivals as Roy Jones, James Toney and many others. At the moment, Lebedev's trainer is an American specialist Freddy Roach.
The biography of Denis Lebedev, whose personal life has developed successfully (photo with his family below), continues to be replenished with sports and family achievements. Rumor has it that the reigning WBA champion Denis Lebedev is again waiting for a replenishment in the family.
Lebedev vs. James Toney
In November 2011, a battle took place in Moscow between 32-year-old Russian Denis Lebedev and 43-year-old experienced American James Toney. The duel was a battle for the interim world title according to the WBA. Everyone was waiting for this fight! This was not the case in Denis Lebedev’s sports biography - the rival intentionally lost 27 kilograms in order to correspond to the weight category of the Russian. Before the fight, the American behaved, frankly, rudely, defiantly and boorishly. He thwarted several open training sessions, repeatedly rude to the Russian press, and also permanently expressed profanity and excessively shockingly behaved on weighing. Quotes of bookmakers vividly testified that Denis Lebedev is considered the favorite in this match.
From the first minutes, the boxers went ahead and immediately threw a couple of good punches. Nevertheless, age played a significant role: Denis was much faster, so he kept the advantage throughout all the rounds. Tony, in turn, demonstrated excellent defensive skills and also showed a counterattack master class. But no matter how hard the American tried, Denis Lebedev struck a greater number of blows, due to which he won the match.
The legendary battle against experienced American Roy Jones
In May 2011, boxer Denis Lebedev was honored to fight the 42-year-old world boxing legend.
During the fight, the Russian constantly dominated, but from time to time he received the heaviest “punches” in response. In the fourth round, Denis definitely kissed Jones' face, he fell on the platform - this was the first evidence of success. The further rounds were measured and equal, however, the ninth remained with the American - Lebedev missed a powerful blow, but was able to withstand everything. The decisive round was the tenth: the Russian boxer made a series of good punches, after which Roy was in a “standing knockdown”, Denis looked at the judge and did not notice that he wanted to stop the fight. As a result, Lebedev delivers the final powerful blow, and Jones falls flat on the platform of the ring. It was a beautiful and hard knockout victory for a Russian boxer. By the way, Roy Jones could not be brought to life for ten minutes.