By Ruslan Chikov, Allboxing.ru

Junior welterweight contender Ruslan Provodnikov (21-1, 14KOs) will join the training camp of Manny Pacquiao as a sparring partner. Pacquiao will officially begin camp on April 16th, preparing for his scheduled defense of the WBO welterweight title against Timothy Bradley on June 9th at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

On April 22, Provodnikov will travel to Pacquiao's camp in the Philippines, where he plans to stay until May 5. Then, Ruslan, along with Pacquiao and head trainer Freddie Roach, will return to Los Angeles to continue training at the Wild Card Gym.

Provodnikov has a tentative return date of June 29 in the United States, but the exact location of the match and the opponent is still unknown. Provodnikov recently started working with Roach.