By Alexey Sukachev

Vadim Kornilov, manager of ex-WBO light welterweight champion and one of the Russian state's biggest stars, Ruslan Provodnikov (24-4, 17 KOs), traced his protege's future in a quickie with a Fight Club TV reporter during the action of another of his boxers Sergey Kuzmin.

"Ruslan's fight against Matthysse was very close, and we know why we lost it. We know those reasons, and we can do better. A rematch with the Argentinean is our priority but Matthysse (37-3, 34 KOs) has different plans at the moment, he is on his native land right now.

"So we were suggested a bout with former champion Brandon Rios (33-2-1, 24 KOs). We all know Rios - such a fight can be a delight to fight fans, an all-action scrap. That can be a good comeback fight for Ruslan. Also, there's another fighter - Humberto Soto (65-8-2, 35 KOs), who is also a possible future opponent. Nothing is resolved yet, and negotiations are under way."

"There's a good chance that Ruslan will fight in Russia next. Our goal is to fight at least one time yearly in Russia. We know that the World of Boxing has some intentions regarding that too, and we are working on it co-jointly," said Kornilov.