Ruslan Provodnikov on Possibly Facing Mike Alvarado

By Ryan Burton

BoxingScene.com recently spoke to junior welterweight contender Ruslan Provodnikov about rumors that he will be facing Mike Alvarado this fall. Provodnikov last fought in March when he lost a spirited decision to Tim Bradley. He had the WBO champion staggered many times throughout the fight and some  thought he did enough to win the fight.

The Siberian fighter said that he had targeted the winner of the rematch between Mike Alvarado and Brandon Rios long before the fight happened on March 30th.  He feels his style will mesh well with Alvarado and feels that they would produce fireworks if the potential fight comes to fruition.

"I wanted to fight the winner of Mike Alvarado and Brandon Rios 2 even before the fight happened," stated Provodnikov. "They are both great fighters and are great brawlers.  I know that if I fight one of them it will be an ongoing toe to toe fight, back and forth and it would be another candidate for fight of the year!"

Provodnikov (22-2, 15KOs) has a lot of respect for the boxing skills of the 33-year-old Alvarado (34-1, 23KOs) and feels that his power will be a key factor to breaking him down.

"I think he's a great warrior.  In order to beat him I would have to break his will.  I think technically he is a good fighter with good power. I would have to use my power to discourage him and stop him," Provodnikov told BoxingScene.com.

Top Rank has targeted either the month of October or November for Alvarado's return and plans on placing the fight in Alvarado's hometown of Denver, Colorado.

Send questions or comments to ringsidewriter@gmail.com . Follow Ryan on Twitter @ringsidewriter and tune in to BoxingScene Radio, BoxingScene's official audio on Tuesdays from 6-8PM PST. The show is hosted by Ernie Gabion, Luis Sandoval and Ryan Burton.