By Allan Fox: WBO welterweight champion Tim Bradley (30-0, 12 KO’s) was sporting a badly swollen up face tonight after getting past #3 WBO Ruslan Provodnikov (22-2, 15 KO’s) in earning a 12 round unanimous decision in what turned out to be a much closer fight than Bradley and many boxing fans expected it to be.
Bradley complained after the fight that he felt that he suffered a concussion in one of the rounds after getting hurt from one of Provodnikov’s many power shots. It’s hard to say precisely which round Bradley suffered a concussion, if that’s what actually did happen, because he was staggered in the 1st, 2nd, 6th and 12 rounds.
Provodnikov bludgeoned Bradley to the canvas in the 12 round after nailing him with a series of big right hands that concluded Bradley taking a knee and staying down until the count of 8 before rising to his feet. The final scores were 114-113, 114-113 and 115-113.
Bradley said this after the fight: “I think I have a concussion. This guy is a power puncher. He’ll beat any 140 or 147 pound fighter out there.”
Bradley was speaking like he was drunk, as he was giggling while being interviewed after the fight.
Bradley made the mistake of trying to slug with Provodnikov from the get go in the 1s round, and he found out the hard way that this wasn’t the smartest thing to do because Provodnikov simply was the much bigger puncher and he was able to hurt Bradley with a hard right hand.
Bradley had bragged in the weeks leading up the fight that he had developed his power and was punching harder in training camp, but it seemed like he was no more powerful than he ever has been. There was no power coming from his shots, and Bradley seemed to realize that the only way he could win was by throwing massive amounts of punches while using movement and clinching.
Provodnikov had Bradley ready to be stopped in the 1st and 2nd rounds after hurting him with right hands. To his credit, Bradley was able to comeback from being hurt to dominate rounds three through five.
Provodnikov hurt Bradley again in the 6th. Bradley then retook control of the fight from rounds seven through ten before giving way to Provodnikov in the 11th and 12th rounds.
I had Provodnikov winning five rounds outright, but with the knockdown in the 12th, I thought the fight should have been scored a draw.
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