Jones Jr. KO'd by Lebedev

MOSCOW -- Denis Lebedev knocked out Roy Jones Jr. in the final round of their non-title cruiserweight fight in Moscow Saturday, handing the former holder of multiple world titles his third consecutive defeat.

With seconds remaining in the 10th round, Lebedev landed four fierce lefts with Jones on the ropes, where he had been for much of the bout. Jones, once the world's top pound-for-pound fighter, bow- ed and shook his head before taking one last right hook from the Russian and falling deadweight to the canvas.

Many had predicted a much quicker demise, but Jones managed to stave off the Russian, ranked the world's top cruiserweight, with a combination of swagger and counterattack that has become the hallmark of this late stage of the 42-year-old's career. "I'm so happy with this win, we put so much into this fight," Lebedev said. "Jones was everything we expected: quick, strong, cheeky . . . But I pulled through."

Jones is 54-8, while Lebedev improved to 22-1.

"It was a great shot, I can't take nothing away from him," Jones said about the final punch that knocked him out. "He was a tough competitor."

Jones, the biggest name to have fought in Russia, said the crowd's reception at the Dynamo Arena made it "one of the most exciting bouts of my career." There was no title at stake, but the win may give Lebedev, 31, a second title shot. His only defeat was a controversial points loss against Marco Huck in Germany last year.

The fight was Jones' attempt to salvage some glory in the twilight of his career. He had lost his last two fights, against Danny Green and Bernard Hopkins last year.

SEE PHOTOSTop 10 pound-for-pound boxers