For weeks before Ruslan Provodnikov and Chris Algieri stepped inside the ring to face each other, the boxing community was already handing Ruslan the victory, promoting the possibility of him fighting Manny Pacquiao next.
Aside from Freddie Roach being a minor yet easily ignored roadblock, this fight was building momentum. Pacquiao needed a good performance against a top name, which at the time, Provodnikov was. Losing to Bradley did not harm Ruslan’s career, while beating Alvarado advanced it. Boxing fans were excited to see just how far Provodnikov would go in 2014, and many voiced their approval for Pacquiao vs. Provodnikov.
This was true for the boxing fans, as well as Ruslan himself, proclaiming that he needs to do everything to move his career forward, and that beating Pacquiao would do just that. And why not assume such?
Provodnikov has many tools in his arsenal, from a solid granite chin, to an impeccable stamina with what looked as bizarre as physical inability to slow down. It would surely be a war, a battle that Pacuiao himself never spoke in consideration of. While Freddie made it known that he is against such a fight, Pacquiao kept himself away from this topic.
All fighters have to make a choice of whom they will risk their life against, and as they get older, some would say wiser as well, those choices have to become more precise and careful; jumping into a lion’s den can exponentially increase risk with time. Why fight a young, destructive Provodnikov, when there are much safer options out there, even including Marquez.
Now after Provodnikov has lost to Chris Algieri via a SD, Pacquaio is more than interested in facing Algieri. As a matter of fact, according to various reports, the fight is very close to being finalized and signed.
Algieri will undoubtedly be making a much smaller payday than Provodnikov would have, leaving a bigger piece of the profit pie for team Pacquaio. Being given an opportunity that Algieri will likely never see again, I would assume that they would be willing to agree on anything that Roach and Pacquiao come up with as far as fight logistics are concerned. And last but not least, Pacquiao could potentially beat the guy, who beat the guy.
We all know that in boxing it doesn’t always work that way, but it sure sell as such. With Provodnikov barely, and to some debatably losing his bout against Algieri, who has no other considerable opponents on his resume, Manny Pacquiao acquired a very good next opponent, with optimal everything in Pacquaio’s favor.
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