Provodnikov says he’s willing to die in the ring on Saturday

By Boxing News - 06/11/2014 - Comments

provodnikov69By Scott Gilfoid: WBO light welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KO’s) says he’s ready to sacrifice his life on Saturday night in facing 30-year-old challenger Chris Algieri (19-0, 8 KO’s) in his first defense of his WBO title at the Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

Provodnikov will be on a seek and destroy mission against the quicker, taller and more agile Algieri in this fight, and he plans on trying to force him into a dog fight. Provodnikov has no other choice but to force Algieri into a brawl, because if he fails to draw him into a war then chances are pretty good that he’ll wind up losing the fight.

“If I have to die in the ring to win, that is what I will do. Is Algieri willing to do the same? He had better or he will not defeat me. Algieri seems like a smart man and I expect him to be a smart boxer…I still eat raw moose liver. It makes me strong. I do not like fighting boxers who do not engage, like Algieri, but I am used to it. I am a hunter when I am in the ring.”

Eating raw moose liver doesn’t sound like a safe thing to do for Provodnikov, but hopefully if he stays a champion long enough he’ll be able to find safer choices of foods to eat to help build up his strength. There’s really nothing wrong with Provodnikov’s punching power. That’s the one thing he’s got going for him. What he really needs is to learn to use his jab a little more, and move his head to avoid the punches that he’s constantly getting nailed with by his opponents. If Provodnikov can learn some defensive skills, he’ll go a lot farther with his career than he will by filling his stomach on raw moose liver in hopes of getting a little more power on his shots.

Provodnikov’s trainer Freddie Roach is confident that he’ll come out the winner over Algieri on Saturday night, and he says that Provodnikov nailed him accidently during training camp recently and he was awed by his power. “He may be undefeated, but Chris Algieri has never faced anyone like Ruslan,” Roach said. “He may be a good student in school, but Ruslan will be teaching Algieri a crash course on how to lose on Saturday night. Ruslan is going to pour everything he has into this fight. His sole mission is to turn out Algieri’s lights.”



Comments are closed.