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It looks like a rematch to one of 2013's most brutal fights is on tap for April 26. Denis Lebedev and Guillermo Jones will go at it one more time, once again in Russia. Boxing Scene's Luke Furman has reported that promoter Andrei Ryabinsky of World Boxing has signed the official contract with Don King.
The first bout between Lebedev and Jones was a savage affair. Lebedev suffered a cut in the first round, and by the time the fight was stopped in the 11th in favor of Jones, Lebedev's eye resembled a bad makeup job from a Rocky movie. It was quite possibly the worst-looking eye that I have ever seen in a boxing ring. Nearly everyone thought it should have been stopped sooner, and Lebedev's trainer, Hall of Famer Kostya Tszyu, admitted that he had thoughts about stopping it before the end eventually came.
In spite of his lose, Lebedev was given the title back shortly after when Jones failed a post-fight drug exam.
Neither man has been in the ring since their fight last May. There were some doubts about Lebedev's future with the way his eye was destroyed and the amount of punishment he took. He has had nearly a full year off, but one has to wonder if his eye received some permanent damage, similar to what Antonio Margarito suffered against Manny Pacquiao.