Lebedev vs. Shawn Cox for interim WBA cruiserweight title on 4/4

By Boxing News - 03/16/2012 - Comments

Image: Lebedev vs. Shawn Cox for interim WBA cruiserweight title on 4/4By Eric Thomas: Cruiserweight contender Denis Lebedev (23-1, 17 KO’s) will be facing 2nd tier slugger 37-year-old Shane Cox (16-1, 15 KO’s) for the interim WBA cruiserweight title on April 4th at the Crocus City Hall, in Myahkinno, Russia. What’s strange about this fight is that Cox isn’t even ranked in the top 15 by any of the sanctioning bodies in the cruiserweight division.

As far as I can tell, Cox’s only claim to fame was a first round stoppage of 36-year-old last his best former WBC cruiserweight champion Wayne Braithwaite last February. I don’t know how Cox can be fighting for a title when he’s not even ranked. But on a positive note, at least Cox isn’t over 40, because Lebedev’s last two opponents have both been 43 in Roy Jones Jr. and James Toney. Cox, 37, is a relative whipper snapper compared to those two.

Lebedev has been on the easy path since losing a controversial 12 round split decision to Marco Huck in December 2010. Huck showed no interest in fighting Lebedev in a rematch and instead of going after some of other cruiserweight champions to try and pick up a title, Lebedev wasted the past year facing older fighters way, way past their prime. As far as Cox goes, it’s hard to say whether he’s past his prime or just hitting it because he’s never fought anyone good as of yet. In the Braithwaite fight, Cox looked very primitive with his big looping left hands and he was throwing as soon as the fight started. He almost immediately put Braithwaite down with a left hand.

Once he had him hurt, Cox knocked him down two more times with left hands before the fight was halted. I don’t think I saw him throw one right hand and it looked like he hasn’t developed his right hand and is solely committed to his left. The thing is his left hand is so good that he probably doesn’t need a right hand against most fighters. I did notice that Braithwaite staggered the southpaw Cox with one of the only shots he landed in the fight and that’s not a good sign. Cox probably won’t knock out Lebdedev and I can see him getting badly hurt in this one because Lebdedev seems to be the much better fighter technically with a better balance of power in both hands instead of just one. The southpaw Lebedev won’t be as surprised by Cox’s left hands as Braithwaite because of his stance.



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