Ruslan Provodnikov is one of the most popular and richest Boxer who was born on January 20, 1984 in Berezovo, Russia. Jose Luis Castillo, a veteran of power punching, was defeated in five rounds in his native country. The fight was a big deal as there was a lot of hype around it. The fight took place at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York, on the 18th April. It lived up to all the hype, as the two fighters went toe-to-toe starting at the first bell. Ruslan was distracted immediately after a headbutt caused a severe cut above his left eye by Ruslan’s headbutt. Matthysse used his superior boxing skills and jab for the majority of the fight. Ruslan again showed a strong chin, taking the toughest shots at Matthysse who is considered the hardest puncher in this division and one of the most difficult punchers in the entire world. After being outboxed in the first round, Ruslan returned in the second half of the bout and began to knock down Matthysse. He was hurt in the 11th round, but Ruslan failed to capitalize or get enough early on, and lost a Majority decision. Matthysse suffered a broken right hand during the fight. Provodnikov suffered a severely swollen and bleeding face after the fight. He also suffered from a deep gash in his eye from the headbutt. Provodnikov also had black urine (rhabdomyolysis) as a result of the punching by Matthysse.
In the first defense of his title, Provodnikov was faced by Chris Algieri, an American who is not well-known. The match took place at the Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York. Provodnikov’s first round left hook knocked Algieri to the ground and caused a swelling under his right eye. Algieri’s boxing and footwork prevented Provodnikov getting in range to land his shots, despite scoring two knockdowns within the first frame. Provodnikov would lose in a controversial split decision.
Timothy Bradley defeated Provodnikov in a close decision on March 16, 2013. Bradley won the WBO welterweight title. Bradley was looking to boost his confidence after defeating Manny Pacquiao, which was widely regarded as one of the worst decisions in boxing. Provodnikov was considered an easy opponent. Bradley was aggressive and started to attack the ring. Provodnikov made Bradley pay by tagging him in the first round and then stabbing him in the second. Bradley claimed that Provodnikov had hit him in the second round, and that he had concussed him. Bradley boxed conservatively throughout the fight, winning the majority of the middle rounds. Provodnikov again hurt Bradley in the final round. Bradley, however, took a knee just seconds before the count expired and won the fight on points. Bradley was impressed with Provodnikov’s strength and willpower, declaring that “he’s going to become a world champion one day.” Ring Magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America named the fight “2013 Fight of the year”.
