Ruslan Provodnikov may have dropped a close split decision to Chris Algieri at Brooklyn's Barclays Center in June in the first defense of his WBO light welterweight title, but there's still demand for the "Siberian Rocky."
Provodnikov himself is preparing for a return to the ring this fall, and Brandon "Bam Bam" Rios may be in his sights. Prior to Rios' fight with Diego Chaves on August 2, Provodnikov said he'd be watching it closely.
"I look forward to this Saturday's fight card on HBO. I know that there is a possibility that I will be back in the ring in November and the opponents being considered are the winner of Rios vs. Chaves, the winner of Vargas vs. Novikov, as well as a rematch with Timothy Bradley. All these are great options for me and I'm curious to see who the winners are this weekend," Provodnikov said.
While a rematch with Timothy Bradley would probably fetch Provodnikov the biggest paycheck, that's the toughest matchup for him style-wise among those candidates. Provodnikov and Bradley's first fight was a slugfest for the ages, but Bradley almost always lost when he decided to stand and trade. His victory stemmed from the rounds in which he chose to box Provodnikov from the outside, much like Algieri did.
Bradley also had much to prove heading into their first clash; he had come off an extremely controversial win over Manny Pacquiao and was aiming to earn his fan base back by engaging in a firefight.
Rios promises more action than Bradley does; even though a disqualification victory was an unsatisfying end to his battle with Chaves, the pair put on an entertaining show that was right in line with Rios' past performances. Outside of a drubbing at the hands of Pacquiao, Rios has become known for all-out brawls and having one of the best chins in the sport.
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