Petrov on his victory over Papazov, on facing Rudd next

By Ryan Burton

Lightweight contender Petr Petrov (33-4) won his opening bout of the ESPN Friday Night Fights Boxcino tournament this past Friday in Laughlin, Nevada against Fedor Papazov. 

Petrov said that he had to make changes to his training due to the fact that the tournament fights are all six rounds in length. The traditionally slow starter said that he had to make sure that he got off to a faster start in this fight.

"I did what I thought I would do when I trained for the fight.  It was exactly how I visualized it.  I always need a round or two to see what my opponent is doing in the ring and then I adjust.  We had to change our training a little bit so that I could adjust sooner than normal being that the fights are only six rounds long," Petrov explained.

Up next in the finals for the 30-year-old Russian who resides in Spain is American Chris Rudd (13-1).   Rudd defeated Yakubu Amidu in the tournament's other quarterfinal bout.  Rudd is a tall and long fighter who presents an entirely different challenge for Petrov.

"I will have to train completely differently for Rudd. He is a taller fighter and I can't wait to counter punch him.  I have to be the aggressor," Petrov stated.

Petrov has faced the likes of Marcos Maidana in the ring and has a lot more experience than both Papazov and Rudd combined.  He feels that experience is one of the key factors in winning a big fight.

"I think that experience is a big asset in the sport of boxing.  I think that is one of the reasons why I won the fight," Petrov told BoxingScene.com.

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