Why Provodnikov Will Most Likely Be Pacquiao’s Next Opponent

Published

11 years ago

December 5, 2013

He lost two fights in a row, one controversially to Timothy Bradley 31-0 (12) and then six months later he was knocked out by his career nemesis Juan Manuel Marquez 55-7-1 (40) in a devastating fashion. Yes I’m talking about welterweight star Manny Pacquiao 55-5-2 (38). This time last month there were questions surrounding Manny’s dedication and desire along with the query if he still had it as a world class fighter and we wondered, can he fight the mental demons associated with a fighter suffering a brutal knockout loss where he was out on the canvas face down for over a minute? Well, it only took one fight for Pacquiao to erase all doubts and now he’s back to being, at the least, the second most compelling fighter in professional boxing after Floyd Mayweather.

Two weeks ago Manny administered a one-sided beating to the rugged and determined Brandon Rios 31-2-1 (23) over the course of 12 rounds. Pacquiao handled the limited Rios with total ease and it’s doubtful that he lost a single minute of a 36 minute fight. And you know what, looking back, it was an easy fight to predict and break down, as long as you knew for certain that Manny still retained 90% of the skills and zeal that he had two years ago, and only one person knew that, trainer Freddie Roach. Obviously, Pacquiao is the fighter Roach will be remembered for most as a trainer. On top of that Freddie has been with Manny long enough to know if and how much he’s slipped as a fighter. Roach said before the Rios fight that it would almost like shooting fish in a barrel and it was. There’s no way Roach would put Pacquiao in with a fighter who he thought going in had more than a remote chance of hurting him. Which is why the Mayweather fight will always be there because Roach knows if Mayweather beats Manny, it’ll be via decision and Manny won’t get hurt enroute to earning a King’s ransom.

Knowing that Roach sincerely has Pacquiao’s best interest and health in my mind, it’s safe to say that if he puts Manny in with another tough and determined fighter, he’s pretty sure of how the fight will unfold as it was the case with Rios. That’s why I believe the talk of Manny fighting Ruslan Provodnikov 23-2 (16) next April is starting to make news.

When I first heard of Bob Arum talking about Pacquiao fighting Provodnikov next, I thought, I don’t think I’d go that route if the goal is still to get Mayweather in the ring. Then I thought about it and realized that it makes perfect sense on two fronts. Think about it, boxing on HBO has now gotten to the point that they can “make” a fighter a PPV attraction based on just two fights. Provodnikov is getting a serious look as a possible Pacquiao opponent based entirely on the Bradley fight (and, say what you will, he lost the decision). After that Ruslan fought Mike Alvarado 34-2 (23) and it’s clear that Mike was done after the two wars with Rios. Provodnikov looked like a real life-taker versus Alvarado in his last bout. He showed that he’ll apply bell-to-bell pressure with a big target in front of him. Ruslan knows how to cut off the ring, he’s willing to mix it up with anybody and he can get his man out of there with either hand. Provodnikov, based on his last two fights could be a great dance partner for Manny at the gate because boxing fans know that as long as the fight last they’ll definitely get their money’s worth. In summary, Provodnikov fits the bill perfectly as a legitimate opponent for Pacquiao in April of next year.

Secondly, there’s the Roach matchmaking factor. He knows that Marquez will always give Manny trouble and win or lose, his fighter won’t emerge from the fight as the world beater he did after taking Rios apart. Timothy Bradley would probably be the biggest fight for Pacquiao aside from Mayweather. However, with Bradley having officially defeated Pacquiao, Provodnikov and Marquez, Timothy will demand equal billing and money. And we know that Roach/Pacquiao see it differently and although it would be nice to exact some ring revenge on Bradley, they don’t need him.

Enter Ruslan Provodnikov, who would no doubt love to get a shot at one of boxing’s most popular and best pound-for-pound fighters on the planet. Roach has watched Pacquiao and Provodnikov work and spar together numerous times. If anyone knows how Manny and Ruslan match up, it’s Roach. And do you really think that Freddie Roach would okay the Provodnikov fight if he wasn’t entirely certain, based on all the sparring Provodnikov had done with Manny, that he wasn’t a 100% safe opponent who would make his fighter look good? I say Freddie wouldn’t sign on to having Manny fight Provodnikov unless he thought Provodnikov’s only shot was to land a lottery punch. And the fact of the matter is, Manny is too quick of hand and foot to be bulldozed or steamrolled by the aggressive Provodnikov, as much as it would be fun to watch him try.

Yes boxing fans, Manny Pacquiao is back to being one of the main players on the professional boxing scene again. He looked terrific in his last fight, he’s still a blast to watch fight and get off and he certainly still loves to fight. No, he can’t make the fight he really wants against Maweather, or should I say he’s not willing to capitulate enough to get it, despite the fact that Mayweather now believes he can defeat him instead of a few years ago when he only thought it. Most likely we’ll next see Manny Pacquiao in the ring against Ruslan Provodikov during the spring of 2014. It’ll be a terrific fight and it makes dollars and sense on behalf of both fighters.

Frank Lotierzo can be contacted at GlovedFist@Gmail.com

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Frank Lotierzo

Emanuel Navarrete Survives a Bloody Battle with Charly Suarez in San Diego

Published

1 hour ago

May 11, 2025

David A. Avila

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In a torrid battle Mexico’s Emanuel “Vaquero” Navarrete and his staccato attack staved off the herky-jerky non-stop assaults of Philippine’s Charly Suarez to win by technical decision and retain the WBO super feather world title on Saturday.

What do they feed these guys?

Navarrete (40-2-1, 32 KOs) and his elongated arms managed to connect enough to compensate against the surprising Suarez (18-1, 10 KOs) who wowed the crowd at Pechanga Arena in San Diego.

An accidental clash of heads opened a cut on the side of Navarrete’s left eye and forced a stoppage midway through the fight.

From the opening round Navarrete used his windmill style of attack with punches from different angles that caught Suarez multiple times early. It did not matter. Suarez fired back with impunity and was just as hungry to punch it out with the Mexican fighter.

It was savage.

Every time Navarrete connected solidly, he seemed to pause and check out the damage. Bad idea. Suarez would immediately counter with bombs of his own and surprise the champion with his resilience and tenacity.

Wherever they found Suarez they should look for more, because the Filipino fighter from Manila was ferocious and never out of his depth.

Around the sixth round the Mexican fighter seemed a little drained and puzzled at the tireless attacks coming from Suarez. During an exchange of blows a cut opened up on Navarrete and it was ruled an accidental clash of heads by the referee. Blood streamed down the side of Navarrete’s face and it was cleared by the ringside physician.

But at the opening of the eighth round, the fight was stopped and the ringside physician ruled the cut was too bad to continue. The California State Athletic Commission looked at tape of the round when the cut opened to decipher if it was an accidental butt or a punch that caused the cut. It was unclear so the referee’s call of accidental clash of heads stood as the final ruling.

Score cards from the judges saw Navarrete the winner by scores of 78-75, 77-76 twice. He retains the WBO title.

Interim IBF Lightweight Title

The sharp-shooting Raymond “Danger” Muratalla (23-0, 17 KOs) maneuvered past Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-2, 12 KOs) by unanimous decision to win the interim IBF lightweight title after 12 rounds.

Both fighters were strategic in their approach with Muratalla switching from orthodox to southpaw at various times of the fight. Neither fighter was ever able to dominant any round.

Defense proved the difference between the two lightweights. Muratalla was able to slip more blows than Abdullaev and that proved the difference. The fighter from Fontana, California was able to pierce Abdullaev’s guard more often than not, especially with counter punches.

Abdullaev was never out of the fight. The Russian fighter was able to change tactics and counter the counters midway through the fight. It proved effective especially to the body. But it was not enough to offset Muratalla’s accuracy.

There were no knockdowns and after 12 rounds the judges scored it 118-110, 119-109 twice for Muratalla who now becomes the mandatory for the IBF lightweight title should Vasyl Lomachenko return to defend it.

Muratalla was brief.

“He was a tough fighter,” said Muratalla. “My defense is something I work on a lot.”

Perla Wins

Super flyweight Perla Bazaldua (2-0) eased past Mona Ward (0-2) with a polished display of fighting at length and inside.

Combination punching and defense allowed Bazaldua to punch in-between Ward’s attacks and force the St. Louis fighter to clinch repeatedly. But Ward hung in there despite taking a lot of blows. After four rounds the Los Angeles-based Bazaldua was scored the winner 40-36 on all three cards. Bazaldua signed a long term contract with Top Rank in March.

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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Late Bloomer Anthony Cacace TKOs Hometown Favorite Leigh Wood in Nottingham

Published

15 hours ago

May 10, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions was at Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham, England, tonight with a card featuring hometown favorite Leigh Wood against Ireland’s Anthony “Apache” Cacace.

Wood, a former two-time WBA featherweight champion, known for dramatic comebacks in bouts he was losing, may have reached the end of the road at age 36. He had his moments tonight, rocking Cacace on several occasions and winning the eighth round, but he paid the price, returning to his corner after round eight with swelling around both of his eyes.

In the ninth, Cacace, an 11/5 favorite, hurt Wood twice with left hands, the second of which knocked Wood into the ropes, dictating a standing 8-count by referee John Latham. When the bout resumed, Cacace went for the kill and battered Wood around the ring, forcing Wood’s trainer Ben Davison to throw in the towel. The official time was 2:15 of round nine.

Akin to Wood, Northern Ireland’s Cacace (24-1, 9 KOs) is also 36 years old and known as a late bloomer. This was his ninth straight win going back to 2017 (he missed all of 2018 and 2020). He formerly held the IBF 130-pound world title, a diadem he won with a stoppage of then-undefeated and heavily favored Joe Cordina, but that belt wasn’t at stake tonight as Cacace abandoned it rather than fulfill his less-lucrative mandatory. Wood falls to 28-4.

Semi-Wind-Up

Nottingham light heavyweight Ezra Taylor, fighting in his hometown for the first time since pro debut, delighted his fan base with a comprehensive 10-round decision over previously undefeated Troy Jones. Taylor, who improved to 12-0 (9) won by scores of 100-90, 99-91, and 98-92.

This was Taylor’s first fight with new trainer Malik Scott, best known for his work with Deontay Wilder. The victory may have earned him a match with Commonwealth title-holder Lewis Edmondson. Jones was 12-0 heading in.

Other Bouts of Note

In his first fight as a featherweight, Liam Davies rebounded from his first defeat with a 12-round unanimous decision over Northern Ireland’s previously undefeated Kurt Walker. Davies, who improved to 17-1 (8), staved off a late rally to prevail on scores of 115-113, 116-112, and 117-111. It was the first pro loss for the 30-year-old Walker (12-1), a Tokyo Olympian.

In a mild upset, Owen Cooper, a saucy Worcestershire man, won a 10-round decision over former Josh Taylor stablemate Chris Kongo. The referee’s scorecard read 96-94.

Cooper improved to 11-1 (4). It was the third loss in 20 starts for Kongo.

A non-televised 8-rounder featured junior welterweight Sam Noakes in a stay-busy fight. A roofer by trade and the brother of British welterweight title-holder Sean Noakes, Sam improved to 17-0 (15 KOs) with a third-round stoppage of overmatched Czech import Patrik Balez (13-5-1).

Photo credit: Leigh Dawney / Queensberry

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 326: Top Rank and San Diego Smoke

Published

2 days ago

May 9, 2025

David A. Avila

Avila Perspective, Chap. 326: Top Rank and San Diego Smoke

Years ago, I worked at a newsstand in the Beverly Hills area. It was a 24-hour a day version and the people that dropped by were very colorful and unique.

One elderly woman Eva, who bordered on homeless but pridefully wore lipstick, would stop by the newsstand weekly to purchase a pack of menthol cigarettes. On one occasion, she asked if I had ever been to San Diego?

I answered “yes, many times.”

She countered “you need to watch out for San Diego Smoke.”

This Saturday, Top Rank brings its brand of prizefighting to San Diego or what could be called San Diego Smoke. Leading the fight card is Mexico’s Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1, 32 KOs) defending the WBO super feather title against undefeated Filipino Charly Suarez (18-0, 10 KOs) at Pechanga Arena. ESPN will televise.

This is Navarrete’s fourth defense of the super feather title.

The last time Navarrete stepped in the boxing ring he needed six rounds to dismantle the very capable Oscar Valdez in their rematch. One thing about Mexico City’s Navarrete is he always brings “the smoke.”

Also, on the same card is Fontana, California’s Raymond Muratalla (22-0, 17 KOs) vying for the interim IBF lightweight title against Russia’s Zaur Abdullaev (20-1, 12 KOs) on the co-main event.

Abdullaev has only fought once before in the USA and was handily defeated by Devin Haney back in 2019. But that was six years ago and since then he has knocked off various contenders.

Muratalla is a slick fighting lightweight who trains at the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy now in Moreno Valley, Calif. It’s a virtual boot camp with many of the top fighters on the West Coast available to spar on a daily basis. If you need someone bigger or smaller, stronger or faster someone can match those needs.

When you have that kind of preparation available, it’s tough to beat. Still, you have to fight the fight. You never know what can happen inside the prize ring.

Another fighter to watch is Perla Bazaldua, 19, a young and very talented female fighter out of the Los Angeles area. She is trained by Manny Robles who is building a small army of top female fighters.

Bazaldua (1-0, 1 KO) meets Mona Ward (0-1) in a super flyweight match on the preliminary portion of the Top Rank card. Top Rank does not sign many female fighters so you know that they believe in her talent.

Others on the Top Rank card in San Diego include Giovani Santillan, Andres Cortes, Albert Gonzalez, Sebastian Gonzalez and others.

They all will bring a lot of smoke to San Diego.

Probox TV

A strong card led by Erickson “The Hammer” Lubin (26-2, 18 KOs) facing Ardreal Holmes Jr. (17-0, 6 KOs) in a super welterweight clash between southpaws takes place on Saturday at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida. PROBOX TV will stream the fight card.

Ardreal has rocketed up the standings and now faces veteran Lubin whose only losses came against world titlists Sebastian Fundora and Jermell Charlo. It’s a great match to decide who deserves a world title fight next.

Another juicy match pits Argentina’s Nazarena Romero (14-0-2) against Mexico’s Mayelli Flores (12-1-1) in a female super bantamweight contest.

Nottingham, England

Anthony Cacace (23-1, 8 KOs) defends the IBO super featherweight title against Leigh Wood (28-3, 17 KOs) in Wood’s hometown on Saturday at Nottingham Arena in Nottingham, England. DAZN will stream the Queensberry Promotions card.

Ireland’s Cacace seems to have the odds against him. But he is no stranger to dancing in the enemy’s lair or on foreign territory. He formerly defeated Josh Warrington in London and Joe Cordina in Riyadh in IBO title defenses.

Lampley at Wild Card

Boxing telecaster Jim Lampley will be signing his new book It Happened! at the Wild Card Boxing gym in Hollywood, Calif. on Saturday, May 10, beginning at 2 p.m. Lampley has been a large part of many of the greatest boxing events in the past 40 years. He and Freddie Roach will be at the signing.

Fights to Watch (All times Pacific Time)

Sat. DAZN 11 a.m. Anthony Cacace (23-1) vs Leigh Wood (28-3).

Sat. PROBOX.tv 3 p.m. Erickson Lubin (26-2) vs Ardreal Holmes Jr. (17-0).

Sat. ESPN 7 p.m. Emanuel Navarrete (39-2-1) vs Charly Suarez (18-0); Raymond Muratalla (22-0) vs Zaur Abdullaev (20-1).

Photo credit: Mikey Williams / Top Rank

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