Provodnikov Wants Quick Return, Eager For Redemption

By Luke Furman

Former WBO junior welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov (23-3, 16KOs) is looking for a swift return to the ring after suffering a twelve round split decision loss to Chris Algieri on June 14th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. There was a lot of controversy over the outcome, with many experts divided on which fighter actually deserved the victory.

"Physically, I feel just fine - for me the fight was sparring. [Algieri] did not cause any damage on me - you saw everything - Chris ran from me for twelve rounds. As for my morale, after I arrived in Russia I heard plenty of things from those who gloated. I want to quickly return to the ring. I will prepare for new fights and I will tell [those same] people after my victory - they were wrong [about me]," Provodnikov told Catherine Losetskaya.

"I'd like to meet with Marcos Maidana or Brandon Rios. If my team will agree on these battles, I'm sure the audience will see a real fight and not a marathon."

Prior to the fight with Algieri, Provodnikov discussed the possibility of walking away from the ring for a little while to explore a political career in his country, but last month's loss has lit a newfound motivation to make things right in the ring.

"Yes, I thought about leaving the ring and taking on another career. I was offered the position of becoming a deputy in Ugra, to defend the interests of the indigenous population. I was interested, but after the loss to Algieri if I walked away now it would disappoint all of the people who believed in me. I guess it was still too early to talk about retirement. After the loss, I realized that I have a lot of work to do - I have to fight, to win title and maybe then leave. I really want to prove that this defeat was nothing more than an accident."

Luke Furman covers boxing for bokser.org.