One of the top five greatest fighters of the last 20 years, James ''Lights Out'' Toney squares off against Russia's Denis Lebedev for the WBA interim cruiserweight title at the Kodynkha Ice Palace in Moscow on Saturday night. It will surely be the last throw of the dice for the 43-year-old Toney who has dropped 60 pounds from his last ring appearance to get down to the cruiserweight limit for the first time since 2003. Toney is a former four-weight world champion, and his defensive ability is the stuff of legend.  However, he will need every trick in the book against the powerful, once-beaten Lebedev, who knocked out another modern ring legend - Roy Jones Jr - in his last fight.

Most boxing fans thought they might have seen the last of James Toney when he waddled to a unanimous 10 round decision over the hopeless Damon Reed in February of this year. Toney had scaled a career-high 257 pounds for his first appearance in a boxing ring in nearly 2 years. Prior to that we had seen the embarrassing spectacle of Toney attempting to compete in an MMA matchup against Randy Couture that resulted in him being pinned to the canvas for a ''tap-out'' within a few minutes.

Most mere mortals would have took that as a cue to walk away from making a living from fighting, and ''Lights Out'' deserves kudos for whipping himself into the kind of shape that many, including this writer, thought was way beyond him. 

The 5'10" Toney was of course at his best when fighting as a middleweight and super middleweight back in the mid-90s. He seemed come out of nowhere to wreck the career off IBF middleweight champion Michael Nunn in 1991. At the time, Nunn was deemed to be the heir apparent to Sugar Ray Leonard, a handsome, intelligent, extremely gifted boxer with a knockout punch. Nunn had already made four defenses of his IBF middleweight title, and seemed set to make many more when he was knocked out in the 11th round by the hitherto unknown Toney.

Suddenly fight fans had to get used to an undefeated young upstart who talked even faster than he threw punches – and he threw punches fast!

Toney boxed regularly back then, fighting six times in 1991, five times in 1992 and seven times in 1993, adding the IBF super middleweight title to his CV. By the time Toney faced his great rival Roy Jones Jr, he had defeated such middleweight and super middleweight stalwarts as Merqui Sosa, Reggie Johnson, Mike McCallum (twice), Dave Tiberi, Doug DeWitt, Iran ''The Blade'' Barkley, Tim Littles and ''Prince'' Charles Williams.

Toney had won 11 straight world title fights, but he was floored in the third round and comprehensively out-boxed by Jones, losing for the first time in his career. He took the loss hard, reputedly threatening his then manager Jackie Kallen with a handgun and blaming everyone but himself for his defeat.

It took Toney many years to get over the loss to Jones. In the nine years between 1994 and 2003, he allowed himself to balloon first to a light heavyweights and then to a cruiserweight. During those nine years, Toney never boxed for a major world title and lost three times – twice to Montell Griffin, and also to Drake Thadzi. 

However, he won far more than he lost it, and he stayed active. By 2002 he had established himself as a top contender in the cruiserweight division, and in April 2003, Toney pulled off one of his best ever victories – storming to a one-sided points win over the previously undefeated Russian Vassiliy Jirov to grab the IBF cruiserweight title. Suddenly James Toney was back in the big time.

Using his new world title as a bargaining chip, Toney landed a fight against former four-time heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield. Most fans were curious, or even doubtful that Toney could successfully take the ultimate step and be effective as a heavyweight, but against Holyfield, Toney proved that his old-school skills and ability to effortlessly roll his shoulders and keep his head out of the way of punishment while administering his own hurtful combinations was just as effective as a heavyweight as it had been as a middleweight. Holyfield was TKO'd for only the second time in his career.

Toney followed in the footsteps of Roy Jones Jr and Bob Fitzsimmons by becoming one of only three middleweight champions to win the world heavyweight title when he outpointed John Ruiz for the WBA belt in April 2005. Toney's reign turned out to be the shortest in heavyweight history when just 48 hours later the results of a post-fight drug test revealed that he had been using anabolic steroids. The result was changed to a no contest, Toney was fined $10,000 and banned for six months.

Despite the eradication of his world title win, Toney was now a bona fide heavyweight contender. In October 2005 he outpointed prospect Dominick Guinn, and in March 2006 looked to have done enough to defeat Hasim Rahman for the WBC heavyweight title, but had to settle for a majority draw. 

There then followed back to back fights against the bulky, heavy hitting Nigerian Samuel Peter. Both contests were WBC title eliminators, and both were full blooded – evenly contested affairs. Toney lost the first by a razor thin split decision, and was beaten on a unanimous decision in the second. He didn't know it then, but his career as a top-flight heavyweight was effectively over.

There was a no-contest with Rahman in a rematch in 2008, and he looked terribly fortunate to win a split decision over Fres Oquendo later that year. In 2009, Toney KO'd journeyman Michael Greer in two rounds,  which was followed soon after by his disastrous foray into the world of mixed martial arts.

Now, out of the blue comes an opportunity of putting himself right back in the big time. A win over Lebedev on Saturday could open the door to a big money matchup against WBO cruiserweight destroyer Marco Huck, or a battle of the ages against Bernard Hopkins. He could even once again parlay his cruiserweight title into a big money heavyweight fight. But does Toney (73-6-3, 44 KO's) have enough left to defeat a hungry young lion like Lebedev? 

32 year old Denis Lebedev (22-1, 17 KO's) turned pro in 2001. He has boxed extensively in Moscow, although he has also fought in Germany and twice in Britain. It was his second UK appearance that brought Lebedev to international attention. Taking on former WBO cruiserweight champion Enzo Maccarinelli, Lebedev was given little chance against the big-hitting Welshman, but shocked the crowd at the M.E.N in Manchester by demolishing Maccarinelli in three rounds.

Three more knockout wins later - including a chilling two round   blitz of former world amateur heavyweight champion Alexander Alexeev - earned Lebedev a shot at German based Serb Marco Huck for the WBO cruiserweight title in the Max Schmeling Halle in Berlin in December 2010. 

In a titanic struggle, Huck held onto his title by a controversial split decision. Even German boxing icon Henry Maske, working as a TV commentator believed that Lebedev had done enough.

The Russian showed that he has lost none of his desire when he knocked out Roy Jones Jr with just 2 seconds left on the clock in his most recent bout in May of this year. Lebedev finished the fight like a train, and his late power may be a concern for 43 year old Toney and his camp. 

At 5'11" southpaw Lebedev is relatively short for cruiserweight, but he is solidly built and takes a great shot. He is extremely heavy-handed, and his last nine victories have all been inside the distance. However, landing those punches will not be as easy against Toney as it was against a badly faded Jones. If he can't KO Toney, does the Russian have the skills needed to score a points win? 

In my opinion, despite his years, Toney will be still too good for the strong but limited Lebedev. Toney rarely gets tagged, but when he does he has a great chin, and even heavyweights can't put him down. His hand speed against Reed was still exceptionally fast, and if he has achieved his current physical condition from roadwork and hours training in the gym, he will be able to that last the distance against a strong finisher like Lebedev without trouble.  

This should be a points win for Toney, but as both men come to fight, I cannot see it going the distance.  I see both men teeing off from round one, but Toney will be connecting far more often than Lebedev. There will be some fierce exchanges early, but I believe the American will systematically take Lebedev apart from the third round onward, with the Russian's toughness and great chin keeping him in the fight. Nevertheless, I think by the seventh round it will be ''Lights Out'' for Lebedev, with a Toney onslaught forcing the referee to come to his aid. 

Toney by TKO in seven.

Big Fight Odds:  James Toney 5/1, Denis Lebedev 1/9