Russia’s former WBO (World Boxing Organization) junior welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov could potentially return to the ring again with a bout by the end of this year, according to statements that his manager Vadim Kornilov told Tass.
"We have a proposal [to resume his boxing career] and this proposal is under consideration for a potential fight at the end of the year," Kornilov stated. "However, we are not ready yet to reveal the details about it."
Provodnikov, known to fight fans as the ‘Siberian Rocky,’ was last seen in the ring on June 11, 2016, as he clearly lost a twelve round unanimous decision, when he was outboxed by John Molina.
The fight was expected to be a war - but Molina surprised the experts, and Provodnikov, by applying a boxing strategy and avoiding toe to toe exchanges. Molina himself retired from the sport in 2019.
After suffering that loss, Provodnikov admitted that he lost that inner-fire that motivated him in the ring.
The hard punching boxer held the WBO world title from 2013 to 2014 and has a career record of 25 wins (18 by KOs) and five defeats.
After walking away from the sport, Provodnikov, 36 years old, entered the world of politics and currently serves as a lawmaker with the parliament of the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area in western Siberia.
Fans remember Provodnikov for his dramatic fights with Timothy Bradley, Chris Algieri and Mike Alvarado.
