Matthysse:"Provodnikov next, march 28"

Provodnikovs got this this fight will be a war

had a friend of mine translate this interview, lucas said they're in negotiations but never said the fight is done or anything like that

he just said this in an interview, he will start training camp next week. he hopes it's for the wbo belt. Only thing left is the confirmation, but all indicates that this is the next fight for both. (spanish) It should be for the WBO belt. However, since Bob Arum controls the WBO belt, only Top Rank fighters fight for that title. Crawford will fight Algieri for the WBO title. Crawford will then defend the title against a journeyman, followed by a fight against Mikey Garcia or Manny Pacquaio.

Lucas Pro's Good chin Very hard puncher Very durable Very fit never gassed Lucas Cons Loses concentration if handicapped Provodnikov Pro's Very good chin Good power Very durable Provodnikov Cons One dimensional Gasses through mid rounds Poor defence Id say thats a fair analysis Id pick Lucas is Provo cant hurt him badly, Lucas TKOs him on cuts. Reasonable analysis however I think stylistically Provodnikov can destroy him quickly. Matthysse need to box here.

Haymon was doing him a favor. Ruslan sparkes him out Whilst that might be true but it's better than fighting Salka and a getting gift decision.

Lucas Pro's Good chin Very hard puncher Very durable Very fit never gassed Lucas Cons Loses concentration if handicapped Provodnikov Pro's Very good chin Good power Very durable Provodnikov Cons One dimensional Gasses through mid rounds Poor defence Id say thats a fair analysis Id pick Lucas is Provo cant hurt him badly, Lucas TKOs him on cuts.

leaves haymon and immediately stops fighting bums and starts fighting good fighters. Well to be fair, John Molina Jr. isn't a bum. He's not an elite fighter, but he's far from being a bum. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he beats Broner.

Vamos Matthysse This is no FOTY, I see Lucas stopping him in 6.

Lucas by easy ko/tko. Provo has never felt real power. His face wont hold up if he doesnt get kod. I'm with you. I think Lucas stops him late due to cuts.

Haymon was doing him a favor. Ruslan sparkes him out Post Fight http://images.sodahead.com/polls/001758545/1735916458_1240605367_eating_crow_answer_1_xlarge.jpeg

Lucas by easy ko/tko. Provo has never felt real power. His face wont hold up if he doesnt get kod.

... you are honestly trying to argue that Ruslan Provodnikov should be an unbeaten fight. lol No, an unbeaten fighter. Did Bradley beat him clearly? no. Did Herrera beat him clearly? no. Did Algieri beat him clearly? no. No one conclusively beat this guy. I don't think it's that far of a stretch. As much as Herrera has been robbed lately, I thought he was given a gift against Ruslan. I thought that was a clear win for Provo. In the Bradley fight,I thought Provodnikov won the war but scoring round by round Bradley won. Ruslan did way more damage in the rounds he won but I think Bradley won 7 rounds. However if they called the knockdown right in the beginning of the fight, I think it was a draw. I personally thought Ruslan won the Algieri fight. I don't call it a robbery (and I don't remember my exact score), but I think with the 2 knockdowns, Ruslan won close. People give him a lot of unwarranted hate for losing to Algieri. Lucas gets a lot of unwarranted hate for losing to Garcia as well so I feel bad for the loser of this one. Everyone wants the best to fight the best and when one of the two best loses he becomes a scrub. People are ridiculous.

... you are honestly trying to argue that Ruslan Provodnikov should be an unbeaten fight. lol No, an unbeaten fighter. Did Bradley beat him clearly? no. Did Herrera beat him clearly? no. Did Algieri beat him clearly? no. No one conclusively beat this guy.

Ortiz is a nobody, what was the point in putting Lucas in that fight? did nothing for a 32 year old's career. Provodnikov has a good case for being an unbeaten two weight world champion having been a Russian on the short end of decisions against Herrera, Bradley and Algieri. He only fights twice a year and his last fight turned out to be a gimme. He has had a break, it's time to go to war. Win, and he gets Herrera or Pacquiao. ... you are honestly trying to argue that Ruslan Provodnikov should be an unbeaten fight. lol

Can't wait for the first round. Ruslan likes to start fast and Lucas has a much improved block/counter strategy since the adjustments were made to his team. I think this is a fight that we as fans of boxing can all appreciate, not just because both guys bring it, but there are a few possible outcomes due to their respective histories. Both can really bang, with facial damage issues in the past and probably the most important factor is the "last chance" angle as a serious player. However, I feel it could come down to stamina, which is why I favor Lucas, who seems to get stronger as the fight goes on. Whatever the outcome, there are no losers in this fight for me, both have stepped up and that doesn't happen enough anymore :boxing:

I think Matthysse got this. Provodnikov's face doesn't take punishment too well. Unless Provo jumps on Lucas from the first round and finishes the job before the 4th, I can't see him beating Matthysse in the mid to late rounds. Excited about this legendary scrap. Hope the hype pays off. Matthysse via TKO. This here. Ruslan's face won't hold up. His best shot is to take Lucas out pretty early. I think Lucas wins this by TKO in the late rounds.

Such a great fight...March is going to be awesome :boxing:

Lets hope Ruslan does not get "lucky" and "swipe" Lucas's eye. Lucas will then have to fight with just one eye like Morales had to do against Maidana. :kabong: That wouldn't even benefit Ruslan though. He f*cked up Algieri's eye in the first round and still managed to get outboxed. Also against Herrera, he lost to a guy who was basically fighting with one eye for a large portion of the fight. If anything Ruslan would be at a disadvantage.

Roberto Ortiz was 31-0 with 24 knockouts. John Molina Jr ended up being the fight of the year. And the fight before that, he was in a nip/tuck battle for the 140-pound championship against Danny Garcia. Provodnikov is definitely a good fight, but you can't factually argue that he's levels better an opponent than Ortiz/Molina/Garcia/Peterson. Ortiz is a nobody, what was the point in putting Lucas in that fight? did nothing for a 32 year old's career. Provodnikov has a good case for being an unbeaten two weight world champion having been a Russian on the short end of decisions against Herrera, Bradley and Algieri. I love Lucas but I can honestly see him quitting or his corner throwing in the towel, the way he fought after his eye swole against Danny he's gonna b In the hospital, why do they insist on giving him tough fight after tough fight he need a break He only fights twice a year and his last fight turned out to be a gimme. He has had a break, it's time to go to war. Win, and he gets Herrera or Pacquiao.

Put this fight on Carson California where all the FOTY seem to take place Crazy if they don't have it on stub hub... but glad Stub Hub is all i'm hearing now after Atlantic city and MSG theater