(Photo credit: Ed Mulholland/HBO) By Chris Williams: WBO light welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KO’s) will be fighting Chris Algieri (19-0, 8 KO’s) tonight in Provodnikov’s first defense of his title. Provodnikoiv’s trainer Freddie Roach believes that he’ll be much too strong for the slender, 5’10” Algieri tonight, and he sees him wearing him down and halting him late in the fight.
Algieri was selected for Provodnikov after Thomas Dulorme and Hank Lundy were both rejected for the fight. Dulorme is a much better puncher, and Lundy is trickier. You have to wonder why Provodnikov’s team wanted Algieri instead of Dulorme or Lundy.
Roach sees his fighter Provodnikov as not being the same guy that Mauricio Herrera easily beat in 2011 in out-boxing Provodnikov. Roach thinks Provodnikov has improved immensely since he took over as his trainer. Roach doesn’t say why Provodnikov struggled to defeat journeyman DeMarcus Corley after his loss to Herrera or why he lost to Tim Bradley even when he fighting his fight by brawling him.
“I don’t think he’s [Algieri] strong enough for my guy [Provodnikov],” Roach said to RingTV. “We’re going to put pressure on him and make him work for three minutes of every round. We’re going to break him down early and knock him out late. The Herrera fight was before I even knew Ruslan. He’s much better now.”
Provodnikov looks the same as he was when he fought Herrera. The only thing that’s different is he’s a little older, and perhaps as not as good as he was back then. Provodnikov hasn’t beaten anyone that you can call a good fighter. He lost to Tim Bradley, and that was with Bradley purposefully brawling with him, and then he beat Mike Alvarado. Beating him isn’t a big deal, especially after his two fights against Brandon Rios.
Algieri obviously was selected to make Provodnikov look good, because they picked him from the bottom at #13 by the WBO. But the thing is Provodnikov is flawed to the point where even a fringe contender like Algieri has a good chance of beating him as long as he boxes him for 12 rounds and used his boxing brain to fight smart.
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