By Robert Soucy
On Saturday June 14th at the Barclay Center in Brooklyn, NY “The Siberian Rocky” Ruslan Provodnikov will defend his WBO Junior Welterweight title against undefeated but untested Chris Algieri. For Provodnikov, it figures to be more of a stay busy fight against a guy who hasn’t been in a truly big fight. Artie Pelullo, who promotes Provodnikov doesn’t necessarily agree. “Chris Algieri is a very difficult fight,” said Pellulo. We always take fights seriously and we get ready for every fight 100 percent. So, I mean at the level we’re at right now, the world title level, you can’t take anyone for granted.”
Provodikov and his camp are saying the right things but anything less than a dominating win would be a disappointment. Algieri is a good boxer with a little bit of pop but he hasn’t fought anyone close to world-class level. Provodnikov spoke about the pressure he is feeling to win in spectacular fashion. “Definitely it’s a big responsibility for me,” said Ruslan. Most importantly because now I’m a world champion and I’m defending my title. I have to fight like a world champion. I will try to finish the fight in a great fashion, as always, because I always do. But Chris is a great opponent and a great fighter.
Algieri knows that he is a big underdog and says that it doesn’t bother him. “I don’t take any offense to it,” said Algieri from his training camp in Las Vegas. “It’s just the nature of the game in this situation. I haven’t had those big name fights yet. I’ve only been on TV a couple of times. But I have been working very hard throughout my entire career and getting ready for this opportunity. And on June 14, everybody’s going to see who I am and see what I bring to the table and that’s when everyone can really see what Chris Algieri’s all about.”
Freddie Roach says that training camp is going extremely well and that Provodnikov is ready. In his assessment of Algieri the former trainer of the year was complimentary. “He’s a good boxer. He moves well. He’s has a good jab. And he’s a solid boxer. But nobody’s perfect and we have a very good game plan,” said Roach. He has been knocked out before in kickboxing matches. So, we will put pressure on him and we will do the best to see if we can to get him out of there. And I think every fight should end in a knockout but we don’t go looking for a knockout. We’re going to go out there and win every round one at a time.”
Provodnikov was not able to secure a big name opponent this time around but a mega fight with Manny Pacquiao still looms as a realistic possibility. Neither Provodnikov nor Pelullo wanted to speak much about what ifs until after June 14th. However, Freddie Roach, who trains Pacquiao and Provodnikov discussed the possibility. “I have both fighters and I would hate to lose one of them,” said Roach. But, the thing is if the demand does come again, we’re going to have to let it happen and it’d be a sad day for me. But the thing is, I probably sit both fights out and just watch it on TV myself.
Roach will most certainly be loyal to Pacquiao who has been his cash cow. “Manny is my number one guy and so forth. But, Ruslan is very close to me and he has been a very hard worker. But, the demand is getting closer and closer, so with the win here it could happen. And Manny is running out of opponents right now, and that’s the way it goes.”
Regardless of what happens on June 14th it figures to be a good action fight as long as it lasts. If Algieri is somehow able to pull off the monumental upset everyone at 140 lbs will want to fight him. If Provodnikov does what is expected of him and wins convincingly the rumors of a Pacquiao fight will begin to resurface before HBO go off the air!
