By Ryan Burton
Prior to his fight against Jessie Vargas last month, Tim Bradley said that he had bad memories of his previous fight at the StubHub Center. That fight was a March, 2013 victory over Ruslan Provodnikov in which Bradley suffered a horrible beating and had to climb off the canvas and also take a knee in the fight's closing seconds to secure the victory.
“This place brings back horrific memories for me, against Ruslan Provodnikov,” Bradley ( 31-1-1, 12KOs) quipped during Thursday’s pre-fight press conference for his upcoming clash versus Jessie Vargas. “It’s the place where Fights of the Year are made.”
Provodnikov has long pined for a rematch with Bradley. Those efforts have so far been unsuccessful. When told of Bradley's comments, Provodnikov reiterated his desire for a rematch.
"It brings memories to my mind as well. Up until today my fight with Timothy Bradley is still in my mind one of the most exciting fights I have ever been in. Every time I talk to a reporter they ask me if it's possible to see the rematch of my fight with Bradley. I always tell them, it's the #1 priority fight on my list!" Provodnikov told BoxingScene.com.
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