Ruslan Provodnikov is set to take the big stage
By Rich Mazon
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 07 Feb 2013
Russian welterweight Ruslan Provodnikov is ready to step in the biggest stage of his career and he will be preparing hard for the big opportunity that is coming his way when he makes his HBO debut in a March 16th title fight with WBO welterweight champ, Timothy Bradley.
His manager, Vadim Kornilov expressed excitement and optimism that his friend and boxer will prove his worthiness to be in the mix in the talent laden 147 pound division where Bradley is one of the champions.
?Our team is very excited. We have been working on this for a very long time. I am very excited. Ruslan really appreciates the opportunity to be in HBO and to come on to the big stage finally, come out of ESPN and come on to the big network,? Kornilov said in a phone interview with Philboxing.com.
?And he thinks that he will be there to stay, He wants to come out and prove to everybody that sometimes he can be sometimes underestimated but this fight will show that he can be a lot more than people think of him,? he added.
As part of the preparation for his fight, the 29 year old boxer will be training with Hall of Famer trainer, Freddie Roach at the world famous Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles.
?Ruslan will be training with Freddie Roach. We already made an agreement with Freddie. I called Freddie as soon as I heard about the fight and Freddie said yes.?
Kornilov consulted with Roach prior to accepting the fight with Bradley and the trainer was optimistic that Provodnikov has a big chance against Bradley.
Roach has a first-hand experience with the champion. He faced him last year in a 12 round battle with his star pupil, Manny Pacquiao. Bradley was then the challenger and he was able to strip Pacquiao of his belt by the way of a highly criticized Split Decision win over the Filipino star.
Provodnikov served as Pacquiao?s chief sparring partner then, in camps held in the Philippines and Los Angeles with Roach overseeing them both.
?First, I asked Freddie if we should take the fight and if thinks we could win it. Freddie said yes, 100 percent,? Kornilov said.
Provodnikov already started training Monday at the gym and sparred for the first time yesterday with Roach and his Filipino assistant, Marvin Somodio looking after the boxer?s training.
Kornilov also believes that his boxer moving up in weight will not present a problem for this fight. He has discussed this with various strength conditioning trainers involved in the sport and is hoping to strike a deal with one of them to help Provodnikov with this fight. He thinks that the 22-1(15 KOs) boxer will be able to develop more power in the 147 pound division with proper training and conditioning.
Kornilov also stated that Provodnikov will remain with Banner Promotions of Philadelphia and that an earlier report of his boxer signing with Pacquiao?s MP Promotions is just a ?mistake.?
?We still have a couple of years left, we don?t have any problems. We work well with Banner and we are very happy with Banner,? said Kornilov.
Kornilov is aware that Provodnikov is the underdog in this fight but he feels that they will be a viable challenger for Bradley and his belt.
?We are not considering ourselves as the opponent for this fight. We are considering ourselves as equal contender. We don?t think Bradley has been tested by a fighter as strong as Ruslan yet. He fought Kendall Holt and was knocked down in the first round pretty badly. Kendall Holt has some power but we think Ruslan has no less power than Kendall Holt. Kornilov articulated.
?This will definitely be a big test for Bradley,? he ended.
The same also applies to Ruslan Provodnikov.
You can reach the author at rrmaze24@aol.com
Photo by Jhay Otamias.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .
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