In life it is hard to step away from stereotypes and labeling and throughout Ruslan Provodnikov’s career he has been labeled. The hard hitting Provodnikov is mostly known for being a sparring partner to superstar Manny Pacquiao and many have considered him along with uncrowned lightweight champion Raymundo Beltran just that.
Provodnikov stepped away from that, stepped out of the shadows and into the limelight when he went to war with Tim Bradley in March of this year and is seeking to shine even more when he faces off against Mike Alvarado on October 19th in what promises to be another action packed fight for Provodnikov but this will be no easy task because Alvarado can not only box/brawl, he has power and can put you away unlike Bradley who is known to lack KO power.
Rumors circled the internet the hall of fame trainer Freddie Roach would not be in Provodnikov’s corner this weekend but that has does not seem to faze him.
” From the beginning we knew there was a chance that Freddie would not be in the corner on the day of the fight. We knew he had obligations to Manny Pacquiao. We trained with Freddie for eight weeks exactly and it has been an awesome training camp. Also we have been working on how we defeat Mike Alvarado. It has all come together. I am going to have Freddie’s assistant Marvin Somodio in my corner. Marvin has been there every day and I know what to do. I know what to do once the fight comes. I am not worried about Freddie not being there. He is obviously the backbone of our team – he is the captain and I had hoped he could be there, there is a chance he could be there on fight night but I am ready if he’s not. It has been an extraordinary training camp,” said Provodnikov. We have been in camp for eight weeks and it’s almost over. We are adding the final touches this week and it’s never been better. Every muscle and bone in my body is ready to go.”
If you have seen Provodnikov fight you would most likely classify him as a brawler. He is good at it but there is more to him than just brawling as he assures boxing fans and Mike Alvarado that he can box as well and no matter what way Alvarado chooses to fight, he will have to stand his ground and fight.
” I’m sure Mike is 100% ready for this fight and is approaching this fight very seriously. He said he is going to try and box me and I am ready for anything. I can also box, I am not only a brawler and we can compete in any style that he chooses. I think if Mike chooses to box it will be better for me because I think that Mike is a better brawler than he is a boxer. I think we are going to have to fight no matter what. Whether it will be one punch, but I think it will turn into a fight no matter what. I don’t think either of us can run for the entire fight and I don’t think he’ll be able to box with me as well as he thinks. This will turn into a fight. If I can make Timothy Bradley fight me I don’t think there is anyone that won’t end up fighting me.”
This will mark the second time Provodnikov will fight for a major world title and he is assured that in order to walk away victorious his will and determination will be the key factors to victory.
“I’ve been in these kinds of fights before and I know how they can end up. I am very strong mentally and very strong-willed. I’ve been there before and need to use my will to make the fight go my way. I’m ready to put on a great show and ready to win this fight. A lot of different fighters have had a plan when coming into the ring with me but usually in fights with guys like Mike Alvarado and myself the plan changes after the first punch. That is my hope for this fight.”
