American boxer James Toney has made provocative statements about his upcoming opponent Denis Lebedev and his team, including legendary boxer Kostya Tszyu, ahead of their fight in Moscow on November 4.

"I am totally ready for this fight. I can go fight right now. With my defense, he can't even get to me. The fight will be short, so do not be late. I advise those who are sitting at ringside not to wear white clothes because there will be a lot of blood. Lebedev is nothing to me, and neither is Kostya Tszyu, who trains him,” the 42-year-old claimed.

“Tszyu was recently inducted as a Hall of Fame boxer, but he shouldn't be in the Hall of Fame, he should be in the hall of shame,” Toney went on to say.

“Regarding the fight, it's going to be for interim-world title of the WBA. I know the guy who owns the full title [Guillermo Jones] and he won't agree to fight me, so the WBA should just declare me as champion," Toney added.

The words of Lights Out seems to have left Tszyu untouched.

“He talks as much as Zab Judah or Julio Cesar Chavez. Many people have been promised that he will tear me like a heating pad. I'm used to it and have learned not to react to such things,” said the Thunder from Down Under.

“Many years have passed since I’ve met Toney. For the first time I saw him somewhere in 1993 or 1994 probably. Then he was on top form and weighed less than at present. But I cannot say that we are great friends. Just talk when we meet at the event,” 42-year-old Tszyu added.

The bout will put the WBA's interim-cruiserweight title up for grabs after it became vacant recently.The winner could then have a battle for the regular WBA title in the first heavyweight bout, which now belongs to the Panamanian Guillermo Jones.

Toney’s record is 73 wins, 44 KOs, six draws and three losses. Denis Lebedev has 22, including 17 KOs and one loss. The fight will take place in Moscow at the Khodynka Ice Palace on November 4.