Strengths for Each Man
Photo by Ed Mulholland
Ruslan Provodnikov is a heat-seeking missile. He has one objective and one objective only—to find and destroy you. His fearlessness makes him exciting to watch, but fearful when you’re the one being hunted. Provodnikov makes it clear to his opponent he isn’t going anywhere, so there is no use in hiding or running. His strength is in walking his opponent down—slipping, dipping, and dodging meaningless jabs to get right down to business.
That kind of aggression is necessary to make your presence known in the ring, especially against another power puncher like Matthysse. Once Provodnikov knows he can walk you down, he is ready to let his hands go; he unleashes his power with devastating combinations, using the favored overhand right as an exclamation point.
Provodnikov is fearless for a reason; he hasn’t been down once in his professional career. Given the kinds of fights he’s been in, the fact he hasn’t hit the canvas speaks volumes about the quality of his chin. This should give Provodnikov the confidence he needs to take risks against a dangerous fighter like Matthysse.
AP/Jae C. Hong
Matthysse is also built to brawl. However, one of his strengths is that he can box better than Provodnikov. This is important because if Matthysse wants, he can use his greater boxing knowledge to frustrate Provodnikov. He can dictate the pace by using his jab and exchanging when he wants to and not allow himself to be sucked in to Provodnikov’s fight.
This would probably work well for Matthysse anyway, since he is most ready to let his hands go once he finds his distance. Matthysse’s biggest strength, which really goes without saying, is his power. It’s made him feared among other fighters in his division, but we’ll have to see how he negotiates his power in a situation with Provodnikov, who has proved time and time again that he is not afraid of anyone.
