By Ian S Palmer
Ruslan Provodnikov will be defending his WBO Junior Welterweight Title this Saturday, June 14 when he takes on Chris Algieri at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Provodnikov was unsuccessful in his attempt to wrestle the WBO Welterweight crown away from Timothy Bradley last year in one of the fights of the decade as he lost a close, controversial unanimous decision.
However, he hit the jackpot when he moved down in weight and stopped Mike Alvarado in the 10th round for the 140 lb belt. This will be the first title defense for the 30-year-old native of Beryozovo, Russia since beating Alvarado in Denver back on October 19 of last year and it can be seen on HBO in America and Canada on BoxNation in Britain.
Provodnikov is quite short for a junior welterweight at just 5-foot-6 and with a 66-inch reach. He’s a pressure fighter who just keeps on moving forward while unleashing power shots along the way. What makes him a tough boxer to beat is the exceptional chin he possesses along with his brutal power. Provodnikov will climb through the ring ropes with a record of 23-2 along with 16 Kos.
Algieri of Huntington, New York is also 30 years old, but has a four-inch height advantage at 5-foot-10 and also owns a six-inch reach advantage at 72 inches. He comes into the bout with a perfect record of 19-0 with eight Kos to his name. His last bout took place on Valentine’s Day when he beat Emmanuel Taylor by a 10-round unanimous decision in his hometown.
The major differences between these two boxers are power and experience, and the champion comes out on top in both of those categories. However, Algieri is the more skilled boxer and has the physical advantages going for him as well. Algieri isn’t the stereotypical boxer as he graduated with honors in 2007 from Stony Brook University with a Bachelors of Science in Health Care Management. He also received his Masters three years later at the New York Institute of Technology.
He knows he has to box against the Russian tank since he’s not going to be able to outslug him. He was quoted as saying this isn’t going to be a barroom brawl it’s going to be a boxing match. Provodnikov on the other hand will try to turn it into a slugfest. So basically we’re going to see Algieri take on the role of the matador while Provodnikov is the bull. At some point the challenger is going to have to stand his ground though and mix it up on the inside.
Provodnikov’s only other loss came back in 2011 when he was outboxed by Mauricio Herrera in a relatively close fight. Algieri should take note of this as it is possible to upset the Russian power puncher without having to go toe-to-toe with him.
Prediction
Algieri has never gone past 10 rounds before and if this fight goes the distance it’ll be interesting to see if he’s got the stamina to last. Provodnikov is a relentless puncher and Algieri’s going to have to use his reach advantage to nail him while he’s coming forward. If he can do this all night long then he’s got a chance at taking the title by decision. However, the champion’s power should prove to be too much and the most likely scenario will be a late stoppage win for Provodnikov.
