Six-time “Trainer of the Year” Freddie Roach spoke to FightHype.com briefly about his expectations for a Lucas Matthysse – Ruslan Provodnikov fight that is close to being finalized, and as always, he did not hold back.
“Ruslan’s a little better puncher than [Matthysse] and I think he has a little better chin, but it’s not a sure thing by any means. When people tell me that fight, I say someone is going to get knocked out. I don’t say who, I just say ‘somebody’ because it could be my guy. I’m a realist, you know.”
It’s no surprise that Freddie Roach can see the same potential the rest of us see in this dream matchup. If made, Matthysse-Provodnikov is an instant Fight of the Year candidate. Matthysse comes in with championship credentials and knockout power. Provodnikov brings a tenacity and fearlessness that can seem like a real breath of fresh air during an era of perceived “safety” both in and outside of the ring.
If Ruslan enjoys being hit as much as it seems, Matthysse will be more than happy to give him a whole lotta reasons to smile but he should also be careful… Ruslan trades hard shots. He won’t be in there to be a punching bag. He’ll be in there to do some damage of his own.
This fight has not been made yet, but it is getting very close according to Lucas Matthysse’s promoter Oscar De La Hoya who recently said it was “practically done”. It seems they have little more to sort out than picking a date and venue.
Ruslan himself thinks that the fight will take place on April 18th somewhere on the east coast. Per his Twitter:
“It looks like I will be fighting @LucasMatthysse on April 18th on East Coast on HBO! This is going to be a real war! No running in this one!”
“No running” indeed. Between Manny and Floyd getting close to finalizing a deal and this matchup on the precipice of being official, 2015 is turning out to be an excellent year for boxing. Boxing better be careful; we might run out of things to complain about…
