By Yuri Tarantin

Vadim Kornilov, manager of WBO junior welterweight world champion Ruslan Provodnikov, says Juan Manuel Marquez is still their first option for 2014. But if they can't reach an agreement with Marquez, then a fight with Manny Pacquiao is very likely for April 12th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

While initially against the fight, Provodnikov (23-2, 16KOs) changed his mind about facing Manny Pacquiao (55-5-2, 38KOs). Initially he rejected the opportunity, because the two boxers are friendly, have sparred several times in the past and are both trained by Hall of Fame coach Freddie Roach. Provodnikov will be forced to hire a new trainer if a Pacquiao deal is made.

"If we fail to reach an agreement on a pay-per-view fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, then the possibility of a fight against Pacquiao is really great. However, if we can agree on a fight against Marquez or Timothy Bradley, then [the possibility of] a bout with Pacquiao may be postponed for a while. Given that the fans, promoters and [HBO] are very interested in a fight between Pacquiao and Provodnikov, we are most likely going to have to do it. Provodnikov only wants to fight only against the most dangerous and most well-known opponents and he does not intend to accept less meaningful alternatives," Kornilov said.

Yuri Tarantin covers boxing for Allboxing.ru.