Ruslan Provodnikov KO's foe in 2, credits time spent with Manny Pacquiao as a factor for the win
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 30 Jun 2012
Ruslan Provodnikov.
Corona, CA - Fresh from his stint as Manny Pacquiao's main sparring partner this year, Ruslan Provodnikov showed the goods he has learn from that camp by rendering an impressive performance Friday night.
Provodnikov 21-1 (14 KOs) of Boryozovo, Russia produced an early night of work of Jose Reynoso 16-3-1 (3 KOs) by knocking him out in two rounds on a bout that headlined ESPN's Friday Night Fight.
The Russian light welterweight went to the body early in the fight as he stalked Reynoso in the opening round. Reynoso who hails from Riverside California was able to put up a decent first round by using his main weapon, his left hand to thwart Provodnikov's early attack. Reynoso also moved effectively in that round while landing occasional lefts on his foe.
Provodnikov made a quick adjustment in the succeeding round by closing the distance between him and Reynoso. He initially went to Reynoso's body then followed that up with shots to the head. A couple of hard right hooks landed on Reynoso's head and one of them sent him to the canvass.
Referee Raul Caiz gave Reynoso the count which he did not beat. The fight ended at the 1:52 mark of the 2nd round. Provodnikov was coached by Wild Card Gym trainer Eric Brown who assists Freddie Roach in the gym. Provodnikov trains out of the famed gym in Hollywood under the eyes of both trainers.
Provodnikov credits the time spent with Manny Pacquiao both in the Shape up Gym in Baguio City in the Philippines and at the Wild Card Gym as one of the reasons for his win last night. The Russian was Pacquiao's chief spar mate in the Filipino's preparation for his fight with Bradley which Pacquiao lost via a controversial Split Decision.
"I want to say that this is just the payoff for me for a very long training camp that I have, almost three months. I was in training camp with Manny for two months and I had to continue my training camp. This is the payoff. I am very glad. This is just the beginning for me." said Provodnikov on the post fight interview.
Provodnikov also mentioned that he learned to adjust to Reynoso's movements because of his sparring sessions with Pacquiao who also moved a lot during their heated sparring session in Baguio and Los Angeles.
"It was all an outcome of the work with Manny because Manny moved a lot. At first I could not catch to him but then I had to improve my footwork and try to catch up to him. " said Provodnikov.
"And here, I think my footwork has improved in this fight and I want to make sure that he doesn't grab me. That was the outcome of that training." added the Russian slugger.
The win improved Provodnikov's record to twenty two wins , fifteen of which came from knockouts.
Also spotted in Provodnikov's corner was Filipino conditioning trainer Marvin Somodio. Somodio who helped conditioning trainer Alex Ariza with Pacquiao's conditioning in his last fight has been assisting Roach and his fighters in the gym after that stint.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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