John Molina Open To Facing Provodnikov, Alvarado

By Luis Sandoval

This past July John Molina Jr managed to put his career back on track as he scored a dramatic come from behind win over then undefeated Mickey Bey. Molina’s power caught up with Bey in the final minute of the final round and now Molina is looking forward to the reward of a big world title fight.

Molina’s options are pretty wide open as he’s not limited to fighting only certain fighters from a specific promoter or that fight on a certain network. He currently campaigns at 135 pounds but is willing to face the top 140 pounders and isn’t shy about naming them.

“Right now you can see there's Golden Boy and Top Rank with their cold war. So that's the beauty of being with Goosen Tutor we can go to any fighter. It's exciting for me. [We’ll fight] anyone at 140. Ruslan Provodnikov at 140, there's [Mike] Alvarado if he can still make 140. There's Lamont Peterson who has to fight his mandatory but after he's done with that if he comes out victorious we can definitely get it on at 140. There's a lot of good guys with a great style that fits mine and makes for a fan friendly fight” Molina would tell BoxingScene.

Many may be surprised to hear Molina mention Ruslan Provodnikov who in his last two fights has looked like a monster in the ring. Provodnikov managed to push Bradley to the brink and just defeated Mike Alvarado to capture his first major world title.

Molina was asked how he felt about Provodnikov as a fighter and how he envisioned a fight with them playing out if they were to face off.

“Explosive. He comes forward. His pressure is second to none. He's a very courageous fighter. I think after that Timothy Bradley fight his confidence went through the roof. And rightfully so [because] you're in there with in my opinion one of the best pound for pound fighters Timothy Bradley and not only do you almost beat him and knock him out ,but there's a lot of [people] that think that he won the fight” said Molina.

Provodnikov and Molina share one thing in common and that’s the power they pack in their punches. Molina is known for his heavy hands and Provodnikov has shown his power is real as he badly hurt and put down both Bradley and Alvarado in their fights.
Molina feels Provodnikov is definitely a very good fighter but also feels his win over Alvarado might’ve also been due to Alvarado’s weight struggle.

“I don't want to take anything away from him on the Alvarado fight. He did everything he needed to do and he beat Alvarado in his backyard but I think it was also a combination of Alvarado maybe needing to move to 147. He looked like he had a little trouble making the weight. But I think Ruslan's a hell of a fighter. I think he solidified his name as I guess a scary fighter to a lot of people right now. They don't want to fight him but I think a fight with me and him would be an explosive fight for as long as it'd last” said Molina.

Molina will first need to take care of a stay busy fight on November 16th on the Andre Ward-Edwin Rodriguez undercard and hopes to land a significant fight next year.

You can follow Luis Sandoval on Twitter and Instagram @Truewest007.