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Lucas Matthysse and Ruslan Provodnikov Hit NYC Before Saturday’s Showdown

At an intimate luncheon just blocks away from the Freedom Tower in Lower Manhattan, Ruslan Provodnikov and Lucas Matthysse sat just a few feet apart from each other while answering questions about this Saturday’s much anticipated showdown which will air live on HBO from upstate New York.

Matthysse and Provodnikov Photo courtesy of Golden Boy Promotions

At an intimate luncheon just blocks away from the Freedom Tower in Lower Manhattan, Ruslan Provodnikov and Lucas Matthysse sat just a few feet apart from each other while answering questions about this Saturday’s much anticipated showdown which will air live on HBO from upstate New York.

With expectations already sky high, this fight has all the makings of a fight of the year candidate. But Matthysse is trying to not get caught up in that talk.

“I don’t think about that it can be a fight of the year,” Matthysse said through Golden Boy Promotion’s Eric Gomez acting as his interpreter. “If we both fight the way we fight then it will be a great fight.”

Matthysse is no stranger to all-action type fights. A year ago Matthysse knocked out John Molina Jr. in the 11th round of their thrilling bout in which both men went down twice.

Matthysse went on to knock out the previously unbeaten Roberto Ortiz in his next fight and then decided to extend his promotional contract with Golden Boy Promotions, which brings us to this matchup against Provodnikov.

“If you are looking to be on a big stage like HBO you have to make big fights,” said Gomez.

“Lucas wants big fights and likes the big money so he knows he must fight the big fights. Oscar has said from day one that he wants to make the best fights. If you look at his career, he never ducked anyone and we have modeled our company after Oscar’s career.”

Matthysse claims he did not see Provodnikov’s last fight with Jose Luis Castillo nor did he watch Provodnikov’s destruction of Mike Alvarado.

Matthysse did however watch Provodnikov’s upset loss to Chris Algieri and picked up a few takeaways.

“He’s a strong fighter, but he does the same things all the time,” Matthysse said. “He also drops his hands a lot so I will do what I always do which is to fight.

Matthysse used 15 different sparring partners for this training camp including a few up-and-coming fighters from his native Argentina.

In contrast, according to Marvin Somodio who trains Provodnikov alongside Freddie Roach, Provodnikov used four sparring partners in his preparation for Matthysse.

“We definitely had to make adjustments for Matthysse,” said Somodio. “We worked with Ruslan on head movement and showing different angles because we don’t know what can happen if Matthysse lands one big punch. It can be dangerous.”

While Provodnikov admits he has had to make adjustments for this fight he is still planning on putting on a show for his fans.

“I can feel how much everyone is looking forward to this fight,” said Provodnikov. “I do feel this fight will be what everyone expects it to be so I cant wait to give everyone what they want. I am thankful to my fans and all the people who are flying in from other continents. My job is to give them what they want.”

Provodnikov does not give predictions for his fights but believes there will not be much of a feeling out process for both of them.

“I think the first round will set the stage for the rest of the fight,” Provodnikov said. “It will determine the rest of the fight. I think the fight will end in a knockout and if it does then so be it.”

Provodnikov is certainly taking this fight seriously and knows full well the consequences at hand.

“Every fight can be my last and each one is the most important of my career,” said Provodnikov. “If I lose this fight it can be my last fight and that’s how I see it.”

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