By Jake Donovan
Ruslan Provodnikov and Chris Algieri both made weight for their 140 lb. title fight, which takes place Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
Provodnikov (23-2, 16KO) came in at 139.8 lb. for the first defense of his alphabet title. Algieri (19-0, 8KO) weighed 140 lb. for his first title challenge.
The bout will air live on HBO as part of a televised tripleheader. Also included on the live portion of the broadcast, Demetrius Andrade makes the first defense of his 154 lb. belt as he faces England’s Brian Rose.
Andrade (20-0, 13KO) tipped the scales at 153.8 lb in defense of the title he won last November in a 12-round split decision over Vanes Martirosyan. Rose was slightly lighter at 153.4 lb.
Opening the telecast, HBO presents the premiere of the exclusive rebroadcast of Miguel Cotto’s historic middleweight championship-winning effort over long-reigning champ Sergio Martinez. The bout headlined one week ago at Madison Square Garden, airing live on HBO Pay-Per-View.
Algieri and Rose both fight on HBO for the first time. Provodnikov makes his third consecutive network appearance, and first as the A-side of a promotion. Andrade appears on HBO for his second straight fight.
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com, as well as a member of Transnational Boxing Ratings Board and the Boxing Writers Association of America. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
