WBO 140-pound champion Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16KOs) is under the impression that undefeated challenger Chris Algieri (19-0, 8KOs) is taking him lightly as this Saturday's HBO televised showdown approaches at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. This will be Provodnikov's first title defense since capturing the belt with a stoppage victory over Mike Alvarado last October in the champion's backyard of Denver.
Junior welterweight titleholder Ruslan Provodnikov had been hoping for another big fight to kick off his 2014, given that his 2013 started with the “Fight of the Year” loss to Timothy Bradley and then his title win over Mike Alvarado. He didn’t get another major star opponent for his next bout. Instead, he’s facing Algieri, an undefeated prospect who will be appearing on HBO for the first time. But Provodnikov says there’s no letdown in facing Algieri in the main event of this Saturday’s card airing from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
"I do not have any special rituals. I only believe in myself and my abilities. "I enjoy having my fans from Russia at my fights. "Algieri seems like a smart man and I expect him to be a smart boxer. We'll see how practical his boxing theories are in the ring on Saturday. "If I have to die in the ring to win, that is what I will do. Is Algieri willing to do the same? He had better or he will not defeat me.
Bill "Two Scoops" Emes catches up with undefeated challenger Chris Algieri to discuss his upcoming HBO televised first defense of the title against WBO junior welterweight champiom Ruslan Provodnikov at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Algieri discusses strategy for the fight, thoughts on Provodnikov as a fighter and more.
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.
Bill "Two Scoops" Emes catches up with WBO junior welterweight champiom Ruslan Provodnikov to discuss his upcoming HBO televised first defense of the title against undefeated challenger Chris Algieri at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Provodnikov discusses strategy for the fight, thoughts on Algieri as a fighter, being a frontrunner to face Manny Pacquiao next and more.
As often happens on a conference call or press conference held before a boxing match, one fighter will get far more attention than the other. That is indeed the case ahead of the June 14 bout between junior welterweight titleholder Ruslan Provodnikov and challenger Chris Algieri. So much attention is going to Provodnikov, who was seen as an ESPN2-level fighter until last year, when he dragged Timothy Bradley into a hellish war that Bradley won by a close decision. And then, in October, Provodnikov stopped Mike Alvarado to capture his title belt.
Chris Algieri (19-0, 9 KOs) is a sizable underdog heading into his June 14 HBO fight with Ruslan Provodnikov (23-0, 16 KOs) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, but he's not worried. That's because Algieri has identified some weaknesses in the Siberian Rocky's game from watching tape, and he plans to capitalize on them to take home the WBO 140-pound title.
Chris Algieri was a professional kickboxer before he decided to enter the realm of those paid to compete under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules. His first fight as a pro boxer was back in 2008. He was 24 years old then, and he’s 30 now, undefeated at 19-0 with 8 knockouts and set to challenge Ruslan Provodnikov for a 140-pound world title on June 4 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Algieri sees his kickboxing past “as a benefit,” he said on a May 28 media conference call.
Chris Algieri knows that what he’s seen with Ruslan Provodnikov may very well be what he’s going to get — the relentlessly aggressive pressure fighter who dragged Timothy Bradley into a war and who broke Mike Alvarado down. And so Algieri, who challenges Provodnikov for his world title on June 14 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, knows what his approach well have to entail.