Ruslan Provodnikov

Bradley and Provodnikov still front runners for Pacquiao’s April fight, says Arum

bradley777Manny Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum hasn’t changed his mind about his desire to have Pacquiao fight either Tim Bradley or Ruslan Provodnikov in his next fight on April 12th. The only change that Arum has made is he’s stopped mentioning 40-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez as one of three candidates for the fight because of Marquez repeatedly saying that he doesn’t have any interest in ever facing Pacquiao again after having fought him 4 times.

“The two guys that are the front runners are Tim Bradley and Ruslan Provodnikov,” Arum said.

Arum’s not concerned about Pacquiao drawing low numbers in facing these guys, because he sees the disappointing numbers from Pacquiao’s last fight against Brandon Rios being because the fight took place in Macao, China and not in the U.S.

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Pacquiao-Provodnikov: Is this as good as it gets for Manny?

provodnikov673With Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KO’s) talking himself up as a possible next opponent for Manny Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KO’s) for his next fight on April 12th in Las Vegas, Nevada, it could be that this is as good it’ll get for Pacquiao for the remainder of his career if he stays with Top Rank until retirement.

A rematch with WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley promises to be a boring affair, because Bradley will no doubt choose to move around the ring for 12 rounds like he did with his recent win over 40-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez. We’re not going to see Bradley use the same fighting style that he did in barely beating Provodnikov last year. Bradley already said that he won’t make that mistake again.

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Provodnikov saying he could get Pacquiao fight on April 12th

provodnikov65WBO light welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KO’s) thinks he has a good chance of being the next opponent for Manny Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38 KO’s) on April 12th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Provodnikov says he didn’t want the fight originally, but he’s changed his mind about it and he’s willing to fight Pacquiao in April.

This could be a very difficult fight for Pacquiao if it takes place, because Provodnikov is more rugged and powerful than the guys Pacquiao’s been facing. This is a much tougher fight for Manny than his last opponent former WBA lightweight champion Brandon Rios. Provodnikov is naturally bigger, faster and stronger than Rios. He also appears to be a smarter fighter than Rios, so it would be a tougher fight for Pacquiao.

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Provodnikov says he’ll fight Rios

provodnikov5 (2)Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has said that WBO light welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KO’s) is one of the names that is a possibility to fight Manny Pacquiao on April 12th, along with Juan Manuel Marquez and Tim Bradley. But it’s unknown how serious Arum is about potentially having a puncher like Provodnikov face his money fighter Pacquiao.But in the meantime, Provodnikov has accepted a challenge from one of Arum’s fighters Brandon Rios (31-2-1, 23 KO’s to fight him, presumably in a bout that could happen next on the undercard of Pacquiao’s April 12th card in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Provodnikov said on his twitter “Brandon Rios, I agree to make fight. I’m ready.”

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Ruslan Provodnikov: “I don’t think we need a rematch with Mike Alvarado”

ruslan titleMoments after his title winning effort against former champ Mike Alvarado, newly crowned WBO Junior Welterweight Champion Ruslan Provodnikov spoke candidly about a possible rematch with the Denver, Colorado, resident.

Although Ruslan’s promoter and president of Banner Promotions, Artie Pellulo, stated that an opportunity for a rematch would be extended to Mike Alvarado out of courtesy and respect, the Siberian native doesn’t really feel that a return bout would be appropriate after the way the highly anticipated title fight played out.

Despite being a competitive and entertaining battle of attrition, Ruslan was winning the fight on every judge’s scorecard at the time of stoppage. The judges’ scorecards read 98-90, 97-90, and 96-92; all in favor of the new WBO Champion.

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Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Provodnikov’s Stunning Performance, Ward’s Steroid Testing Position, & What’s Next for Provodnikov & Bradley!!!

provodnikov10Andrei S. (Miami Lakes, FL): Provodnikov is a countryman of mine and I was very excited to see him get the victory over Alvarado. How did you rate his performance and what do you see happening next for him?

Vivek W. (ESB): Coming into the fight I had Provodnikov winning, and the failed weight attempt by Alvarado made me feel even more comfortable with that choice. It should be duly noted that Alvarado is an absolute warrior and a couple losses will not define his legacy. That being said, Provodnikov was viewed by most coming in as the hungrier fighter, and it was clear that he would not be denied. A week ago I pointed out a very similar subplot that existed in the Bradley/Marquez showdown. In that fight, we had Bradley coming in with something to prove, following a victory where most felt he could have lost and didn’t perform well. To his opposite, we had Marquez, riding the high of a stunning KO victory. In this fight we had Provodnikov coming off a loss with something to prove, and Alvarado, who was also riding the wave of a great victory.

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Will Floyd Mayweather now be expected to Face Provodnikov?

provodnikov6With his methodical destruction of Mike Alvarado Saturday night and FOTY effort against Timothy Bradley earlier in 2013, Siberian native Ruslan Provodnikov has catapulted himself from ESPN house fighter to HBO house fighter. Both fights were all action affairs with Provodnikov taking as much as he was giving, in some instances taking two or more punches to land one big punch.

In both fights and throughout his career, Provodnikov forced his opponent to fight his fight taking no quarter, giving no quarter. Both Bradley and Alvarado went down from the Siberian Rocky’s pressure and ability to absorb punishment. With these performances Provodnikov puts himself right in the middle of the 140lb and 147lb mix, with many good fights available to him including a Bradley rematch, and the Pacquiao/Rios winner.

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Mike Alvarado Bows Down to Ruslan Provodnikov

alvarado62Saturday night Mike Alvarado felt good. Why shouldn’t he? He was in front of his hometown fans at 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, Denver, Colorado. He was feeling very confidant and ready to give the 29 yr old Ruslan Provodnikov a boxing lesson. He was eager to tee off on the head of this straight forward Russian from Beryozovo. He watched Timothy Bradley win a tough fight against Ruslan. He also knew “Desert Storm” came close to getting stopped. But, Mike wasn’t going to get sucked into a slugfest with Ruslan, but even if he did he still had the size and strength advantage, right?

HBO’s Jim Lampley, Max Kellerman and Roy Jones, Jr. weren’t so sure. They wondered which Mike was going to show up Saturday night? The one who got stopped in the first fight with Brandon Rios, or the Alvarado who showed up in the 2nd fight, the Alvarado who boxed beautifully to get a win over Rios. They collectively thought there was a real danger that once Mike got tagged, he would get pulled into the trenches and start trading with Ruslan.

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Who next for sensational slugger Ruslan Provodnikov?

Alvarado_Provodnikov_131019_001a-2-480x308The look on Russian warrior Ruslan Provodnikov’s face said it all. Moments after he’d taken all the fight out of the tough and gutsy Mike Alvarado, Provodnikov, blood trickling down his swollen face, let loose with his emotions. Proud to be a world champion, stating afterwards what it means to him to be “a world champion like Leonard and Duran,” Provodnikov saw all his years of toil come to the good.

Last night’s terrific fight was advertised as just that and Provodnikov (and Alvardo) delivered as he usually does. Now 23-2(16), the 29-year-old who came short in that January classic with Tim Bradley can now look ahead to some well deserved big fights and big pay days.

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What Did Ruslan Provodnikov’s Victory Really Tell Us?

Alvarado_Provodnikov_131019_002a-2-480x335Ruslan Provodnikov scored a spectacular late round stoppage against Mike Alvarado tonight. It was something else. Provodnikov really looked up to the task. He was just brutal and relentless, and like a hungry shark hunting beneath shadowy waters, Provodnikov always seemed carried by forward momentum. A savage and consistent barrage of sharp hooks, crisp rights, and wicked body shots ultimately led to Alvarado’s demise. Provodnikov’s offense was running on all cylinders, and the surprisingly vicious outcome here helps to provide boxing fans with some new perspective for a couple of things.

For starters, Timothy Bradley is looking pretty good right about now. When Bradley struggled against Provodnikov in what some considered a disputed win, people were highly critical of him especially since this followed his extremely controversial Pacquiao victory. Now within the span of a week, not only has Bradley soundly beaten the still formidable future Hall of Famer, Juan Manuel Marquez, but Provodnikov also stepped up and again made people take notice with his destruction of Alvarado. With the advantage of hindsight it now becomes clear that Provodnikov was a far greater opponent (and win) for Bradley than people then realized.

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