Pacman bout details revealed
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Fri, 20 Feb 2026
Details of Manny Pacquiao’s fight against Russian Ruslan Provodnikov are slowly trickling in with the latest development that it will be an eight-round exhibition at the Thomas and Mack Center on the UNLV campus. It’s all systems go for the April 18 exhibition with tickets now on sale at Pacquiao’s website.
Each round will be two minutes and the weight limit is 147 pounds. Apparently, Provodnikov wasn’t the only option to take on Pacquiao. A candidate was Argentinian slugger Marcos Maidana who’s 42 like Provodnikov and a former WBA superlightweight and welterweight champion. But Maidana was ruled out as he wouldn’t be able to make the welterweight limit.
Provodnikov isn’t a stranger to Pacquiao. The ex-WBO superlightweight champion used to work out at the Wild Card Gym with trainer Marvin Somodio and has sparred with Pacquiao. Provodnikov is as tough as nails and has never been floored. His record is 25-5, with 18 KOs and all his defeats were on points, three to Pacquiao victims Tim Bradley, Chris Algieri and Lucas Matthysse. Provodnikov decked Bradley and Algieri but still lost decisions. He has fought twice at the Thomas and Mack Center, beating Brian Gordon in 2008 and Willie Diamond in 2007 while Pacquiao has battled thrice at the venue, outpointing Jesse Vargas in 2016 and stopping Erik Morales twice in 2006. Provodnikov has scaled 147 or more pounds thrice in his career and in his last fight, weighed 140 in a setback to John Molina in 2016. He has seen action all over the US and in Russia, China and Monaco.
Pacquiao, 47, remains in demand as a crowd drawer. He’s ranked No. 3 in the welterweight division by WBC and WBO. Pacquiao was recently designated vice president of the International Boxing Association and ambassador of the Team Boxing League where he intends to become a part owner, team captain and active fighter of the expansion San Diego TJs starting next year.
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