By Yuri Tarantin

Vadim Kornilov, manager of WBO 140-pound champion Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16KOs) is better prepared for his fight with undefeated challenger Chris Algieri (19-0, 8KOs) than he was for his title winning effort over Mike Alvarado last October in Denver.

The HBO televised bout with Algieri takes place on Saturday night from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

"Ruslan is better prepared right now than he was for the fight with Alvarado. Training was very successful and the sparring partners we picked up were even more optimal than [those that were used prior to] the last fight. Most importantly, Ruslan was diligent and focused during training, though now he defends the belt rather than trying to win it. He has even more respect for all of his team members," Kornilov said.

Yuri Tarantin covers boxing for Allboxing.ru