Provodnikov vs Khan @ 140

[hhwff3000]

Khan is a far superior fighter to Bradley.

He'd win a lot more convincingly than Bradley did. If Bradley even won that fight at all

All things considered Khan is about to fight a journeyman at a catchweight, and before that he fought an unranked lightweight...So I understand you're a fan and all but there's a fine line between loyalty and blind ignorance. You just crossed it.

[DARKSEID]

Khan Ko's him

All he needs to do is use his speed and reach and movement. Don't forget provodnikov is a small guy.

[Light_Speed]

khans isnt as smart, skilled or durable as bradley and gets slept in 5. provodnikov cuts the ring off pretty well when he decides to crank up the pace and while he is slow hes got good timing. hes good at punching with his opponent and landing in exchanges.

khan cant control someone without cranking up the pace, so whenever he fights a pressure fighter he wears himself out and ends up standing right in front of them despite the fact that he has zero in fighting ability.

with provodnikovs constant pressure and reasonable ability to cut of the ring i dont see khan staying out of harms way, to cap things off hes vulnerable to looping punches.

provodnikov in 5.

Great post.

I don't like the Peterson comparison.

Peterson commits to the body. Provodnikov doesn't. One of the biggest strengths in Peterson's game. Peterson is the more skilled inside fighter. He knows how to work his way inside by using his jab and head movement. He deals with movement well. He dealt with Khan's movement much better than Provodnikov did with Bradley's movement last night. When Bradley moved and boxed, Provodnikov was lost. He swept the middle rounds. Provodnikov only had success when Bradley was a stationary target. He needs to have his feet planted.

Maidana is a good comparison and I can see this fight playing out similar to that one.

But Peterson walked in without a jab and managed to close the distance pretty easily. Bodywork isn't an issue because Khan seems to have a strong midsection but we all know he has a weak chin. Provodnikov hits much harder than Peterson and maybe harder than Maidana. He definitely has better balance when he throws his shots. Bradley has better head movement than Khan.

[yoz]

It depends. If a disciplined Khan enters the ring, he strolls to a wide UD. If its the Khan of Peterson/Garcia, he gets finished early.

[Dr Rumack]

Khan will get caught. The extent of his speed advantage over Provodnikov will just bring his arrogance to the fore, it'll end up putting him in danger instead of keeping him safe. One of those big shots and Khan will be done. If it took Bradley a whole fight to recover Khan won't recover this side of christmas.

[Suavecito80]

This is a horrible match up for khan. It really is. Ruslan proved that his has legit power against Tim this Saturday and is willing to sacrifice getting in order to land a crushing blow. khan can try to box but all Ruslan needs to do is land one shot and its lights out for khan. Bradley is from another planet man he really is dude was getting cracked over and over again and he just would refuse to quit.

[-PBP-]

Great post.


But Peterson walked in without a jab and managed to close the distance pretty easily. Bodywork isn't an issue because Khan seems to have a strong midsection but we all know he has a weak chin. Provodnikov hits much harder than Peterson and maybe harder than Maidana. He definitely has better balance when he throws his shots. Bradley has better head movement than Khan.

Peterson's body attack is what made him so effective at close range against Khan. It's really one of the biggest reasons why he won that fight. Provodnikov is a headhunter and not nearly as skilled of an inside fighter as Peterson.

The only issue in this fight is "will Khan get caught". It's Provodnikov's only chance. With Khan of course, you never know, but this is a fight that I think he can and should win.