Rising Russian heavyweight star Denis Boytsov takes on American veteran Darnell ''The Ding-A-Ling Man'' Wilson at the Grand Elysee Hotel in Hamburg on Saturday night. Boytsov is highly ranked by all of boxing's major governing bodies, and is seen by many experts as the heir apparent to the Klitschko brothers. Relatively short by modern heavyweight standards at 6' 1'', Boytsov is an exciting fighter with an aggressive style that at best is reminiscent of a young Mike Tyson. Former world-ranked cruiserweight Wilson has become something of a journeymen heavyweight in recent years, but has been stopped just twice in 40 fights, while ending 20 of his 24 victories inside the distance, and should prove a tough test for the young Russian.

25-year-old Denis Boytsov [29-0, 24 KOs] turned professional in 2004 after winning the super heavyweight class in the Junior World Championships. Overall, Boytsov compiled a record of 115-15 as an amateur.

Basing himself in Hamburg and under the stewardship of top German coach Fritz Sdunek, one-time trainer of both Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko and former WBO light heavyweight champion Dariusz Machalczewski, Boytsov began his pro career at breakneck pace, winning ten bouts in 13 months, nine in the first round.

Boytsov was 14-0 when he was taken the distance for the first time by the durable Brazilian Edson Cesar Antonio - the Russian winning a one-sided eight round decision. In his next fight in October 2006, Boytsov won the WBC World Youth heavyweight title with a fifth round TKO over current Czech heavyweight prospect Ondrej Pala.

No doubt anticipating the domination of the heavyweight division by Wladimir Klitschko, and his comebacking older brother Vitali in 2008, Boytsov's management have since been content to match their charge against decent if unremarkable heavyweights like Vinny Madalone (W8), Robert Hawkins (W8), Israel Garcia (TKO2) and Taras Bydenko (TKO6), although boxing fans around the world would prefer to see him tested by genuine contenders like Chris Arreola, Tomasz Adamek, Robert Helenius and Eddie Chambers.

Boytsov has fought just three times in the last two years, stopping Kevin Montiy in two rounds in January 2010, knocking out Mike Shepherd in the second round 10 months later, and beating Matthew Greer on a sixth round TKO last October. Against Greer, Boytsov looked in tremendous shape, although at a body weight of 213 lbs, seemed a little light.

Worryingly, against Greer Boytsov looked one dimensional and does not appear to have improved technically in the last few years, and still throws single punches as opposed to combinations. His power is good, although he labored to get rid of Greer, a fighter who had been knocked out in two rounds by James Toney in 2009.

Until we see Boytsov in with a genuine world-class opponent who can actually beat him, we will not know just how good he is. He is currently ranked fourth by the WBC and WBO, fifth by the WBA and sixth by the IBF, but those rankings seems somewhat overinflated based on his opposition, and personally I believe he would struggle against any of the British trio of Derek Chisora, David Price and Tyson Fury.

On Saturday night, Boytsov takes on 37-year-old Darnell ''The Ding-A-Ling Man'' Wilson [24-13-3, 20 KOs], a fighter who besides having the worst nickname in boxing (relating to his hitting power, not his private parts), was a genuinely explosive puncher at cruiserweight.

A squat, powerfully built 5'10'', Wilson turned pro in 2000 and originally competed as a light heavyweight, compiling a record of 16-1-2 before making the move up to cruiserweight in 2005.

After scoring a couple of victories at 200 lbs, Wilson lost four consecutive fights, but rebounded with a fourth-round TKO over Daniel Judah in October 2006. The following year he scored KOs over contenders Dale Brown, Kelvin Davis and also a savage 11th rounds icing off Emmanuelle Nwodo that remains one of the most brutal knockouts seen in recent years.

The highlight of Wilson's pro career came in May 2008 when he challenged Firat Arslan of Germany for the WBA cruiserweight title but came up short, losing a unanimous decision. In 2010, Wilson moved up to heavyweight, and in 2011 he pulled off a shock upset by outpointing Cuban Juan Carlos Gomez, the one-time WBC cruiserweight champion who had challenged Vitali Klitschko for the WBC heavyweight title in 2009, losing in nine rounds.

Last time out Wilson lost a 12 round decision to Ondrej Pala, the same fighter Boytsov TKO'd in five rounds five years earlier.

Although Wilson could certainly bang at cruiserweight, whether he has the power to trouble a genuine heavyweight like Boytsov is another matter. The Russian is hardly a giant by today's standards, so it is not inconceivable that he could get hurt if the ''Ding-A-Ling Man'' were to tag him. However, Wilson doesn't just telegraph his punches these days - he sends smoke signals, so unless Boytsov has a serious lapse in concentration, a shock KO upset is highly unlikely.

This should be little more than a decent workout for Boytsov, but nevertheless, I would be surprised if he got rid of Wilson inside the distance, and I expect him to win a one-sided eight round decision.

Boytsov by unanimous decision.

Fight Odds: Denis Boytsov 1/14, Darnell Wilson 13/2 bet365