Provodnikov a possible opponent for Pacquiao if Marquez doesn’t take fight

By Boxing News - 05/22/2014 - Comments

provodnikov7By Chris Williams: WBO light welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KO’s) has been mentioned by Top Rank promoter Bob Arum as a potential opponent for WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao (56-5-2, 38 KO’s) for his next fight on November 16th in Macao, China. The Russian born Provodnikov is strictly a fallback option for Arum to put in with Pacquiao if the guy he wants to fight him Juan Manuel Marquez fails to agree to the fight.

Provodnikov at least would bring some new blood for Pacquiao to fight instead of the same old guys. That’s at least one positive. Provodnikov is someone who does well against fighters with poor mobility or guys that look to trade with him. He struggles badly when he faces opposition that moves on him.

Tim Bradley did well in his fight with Provodnikov each time he used a little movement, but when he would stop to slug, Bradley had a hard time. I seriously doubt that Pacquiao would even consider mixing it up with Provodnikov because the potential for knockout would be too high for the Filipino star.

As far as Marquez goes, he’s thinking it over with his family whether or not he should take the fight with Pacquiao, because there’s really not much to gain from fighting him again other than a payday. He’s already arguably beaten Pacquiao four times and been robbed in three of them.

Beating him in order to capture his WBO title really won’t mean a whole lot because Pacquiao isn’t considered to be the best fighter in the welterweight division.

It would be a secondary belt or paper belt, because WBA/WBC welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. is perceived to be the real champion in the welterweight division. Marquez wants to win a 5th division world title, as he feels this will cap his career.

For Provodnikov to keep his place as the backup option for Pacquiao, he’s going to need to win his fight on June 14th against #14 WBO Chris Algieri (19-0, 8 KO’s) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Provodnikov should be able to win this fight because Algieri can’t punch at all. But then again, Mauricio Herrera couldn’t punch either and he made Provodnikov look real bad in beating him in 2011.



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