Provodnikov open to fighting Brook in the UK

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Kell Brook - Ruslan ProvodnikovRuslan Provodnikov’s name has been mentioned with many so far for his return this year. There were rumors that he had a falling out with HBO, but that was denied when I spoke to a source at Banner Promotions, who promote Provodnikov.

ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael wrote in his weekly notebook that Provodnikov might be on his way to Showtime and to a possible showdown with Adrien Broner Oct 3rd. While Provodnikov hasn’t had a falling out with HBO, a move to Showtime is possible but don’t expect an Adrien Broner fight just yet. The same source at Banner told me that Provodnikov is still in Russia and hasn’t started training.

Provodnikov’s manager Vadim Kornilov to World Boxing News that they would consider facing Kell Brook and in the UK as well.

“We can definitely consider facing Kell Brook in the UK as an option,” Kornilov told World Boxing News. “Ruslan is definitely interested in fighting Kell Brook even though he’s one weight division above, but we would need to clarify all the details on the offer for the fight before we make any decision.”

While Provodnikov wouldn’t mind going to the UK for a fight, his manager seems resistant to the idea. Kell Brook is slated for a return on October 24th which is a few weeks from Oct 3rd, so, in essence, would be more time for Provodnikov to return to the states in train with Freddie Roach. However, rumors have it that Diego Chaves is the front-runner to land the Brook fight in the UK. Either way, Kornilov is hesitant about bad decisions that have not favored his fighter.

“Unfortunately boxing in the UK is known for bad decisions that always lean towards the UK fighter. This is usual in most countries, but the UK stands out in that sense, and we have to make sure we do what’s right and protect our fighter. Ruslan has had enough bad decisions in his career.”

Last Sunday, Kornilov mentioned a fight with Brandon Rios as a possibility. Rios stated his interest in fighting Provodnikov or Victor Ortiz in January early this year.

With Ortiz out for the considerable future with a hand injury, the Provodnikov bout could be on the horizon.