By Dan Ambrose: In a disappointing match-up, WBO light welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KO’s) will be defending his title against #13 Chris Algieri (19-0, 8 KO’s) on HBO on June 14th from the Nassau Coliseum, in Uniondale, New York, USA. It’s surprising that HBO said yes to this fight, because it’s an awful one.
According to ESPN, Provodnikov’s trainer Freddie Roach turned down Hank Lundy for Provodnikov. Roach didn’t like the match-up for some reason. Thomas Dulorme was turned down by HBO because of his recent fight against Karim Mayfield, which wasn’t all that entertaining to watch. However, HBO must have skipped over Algieri’s boring win over Emmanuel Taylor last February, and his equally dull wins over Mike Arnaoutis and Wilfredo Acuna. Those performances made Dulorme’s fight against Mayfield seem thrilling in comparison.
By Dan Ambrose: It looks like WBO light welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KO’s) will be facing undefeated Chris Algieri (19-0, 8 KO’s) in his first defense of his WBO 140lb title on June 14th instead of someone more interesting like Brandon Rios. According to Dan Rafael of ESPN, Thomas Dulorme, Antonio DeMarco, and Hank Lundy were all ruled out as a possible opponent for Provodnikov. Algieri was the guy that was approved.