Saturday, April 18, 2015, hard-hitting Argentine slugger, Lucas “The Machine” Matthysse (36-3, 34 KOs) faces off against relentless stalker, Ruslan “The Siberian” Rocky (31-0, 28 KOs).
The bout will air live on HBO’s Boxing After Dark as the main event of split-site telecast–which also includes Terence Crawford vs. Thomas Dulorme–starting at 9:45 pm, EST.
Before the two fighters square off in the ring in what promises to compete for Fight of the Year honors, RBRBoxing‘s Lou Catalano and Gabe Polanco go head to head with two keys to victory for each man.
Let us know who you think will win this Middleweight clash.
Key #1 for Ruslan Provodnikov Smother Those Shots
By Lou Catalano
Ruslan Provodnikov enjoys getting hit in the face as much as the next psychopath, but taking repeated bombs from Lucas Matthysse is simply suicidal.
If Provo can eat those hand grenades for 12 rounds without blinking, he needs to be studied by scientists and his DNA should be evaluated to determine if he’s actually a human being. If I were writing a generic “keys to victory” piece, I would of course include things like “move your head, feint, slip punches,” etc. But this is Ruslan. He’s not slipping punches. He’s not giving angles. And moving his head is a ridiculous idea when you can just use your iron skull to absorb the blow.
He’s not suddenly morphing into Pernell Whitaker. He’s going to get hit. A whole lot. So, if he does actually care about things like long term health and cognitive thinking well into his later years, (and if he doesn’t want to see his own brain matter leaking out through his nose) he’d be wise to go at his man Ricky Hatton-style.
That is, stick his face right into Lucas’ chest and don’t let the man breathe. I brought up Hatton because this fight reminds me a little of his epic showdown with then-140 pound king Kostya Tszyu.
Tszyu was the big puncher like Matthysse, and Hatton was the brawler with the sturdy chin who could take two punches to land one. He mauled Tszyu to death. He took his soul. Provodnikov could do the same.
Punchers tend to fade, especially when they see that the man in front of them will not go away no matter how many vicious shots they eat. If Provodnikov stays in close, Matthysse won’t be able to generate the same leverage on his punches. It will also go a long way towards sapping Matthysse’s energy, thus taking steam off of those cement fists in the later rounds.
Key #1 for Lucas Matthysse Use Your Jab
Photo by Esther Lin
By Gabe Polanco
As we saw with Timothy Bradley and Chris Algeri, Ruslan Provodnikov can’t beat good boxers.
He is a stalking caveman that will rip your head off the first chance he gets. That’s why Lucas Matthysse needs to be intelligent and use his jab to keep him at bay.
Think of it as a lion keeper with a whip. Matthysse has proven to be a decent enough boxer when he isn’t sucked into a brawl, which leads me to my next key…
Key #2 for Ruslan Provodnikov Kill the Body
Photo by Ed Mulholland
By Lou Catalano
If Ruslan Provodnikov can make his way inside on Lucas Matthysse, he will have to take advantage of his position by digging hard to the body. Provodnikov doesn’t have the one-punch, concussive power of his adversary, but he hits hard enough, and he JUST. DOESN’T. STOP.
If Matthysse is “The Machine,” Provodnikov is Jason Fucking Vorhees. No matter what you do, he just keeps coming back. Now if he’s merrily wailing away on Matthysse’s insides all night, he’ll be the one scoring the knockout victory.
If Provodnikov stays in the pocket, the feeling here is that he just won’t be able to hold up to that kind of power. His defensive skills are basically non-existent. But there are kinks in Matthysse’s armor–he’s been beaten before, and John Molina proved that he can be rocked.
If Provodnikov’s trainer Marvin Somodio has his way, we’ll see a phone booth fight. It’s the only way the Siberian beast survives this scrap.
Key #2 for Lucas Matthysse Don’t Get Sucked Into a Firefight
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
By Gabe Polanco
Lucas Matthysse is one of the strongest punchers in boxing today, yet he does not fight with the same tenacity that Ruslan Provodnikov does.
If he keeps exchanging with the Siberian bear, he’s gonna get mauled. He is more than capable of beating, and maybe even stopping Provodnikov, but only in his way.
That way is to box smart and efficiently enough to lead with the jab and throw that crisp right hook he has put enough of his opponents down with.
