Photo by Peter Frutkoff
On Saturday, June 14, 2014, WBO Light Welterweight Champion, Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KOs) defends his title for the first time against undefeated Chris Algieri (19-0, 8 KOs).
The fight–which is taking place at the Barclay’s Arena in downtown Brooklyn–is a classic matchup of boxer vs. brawler.
But, before the two men go at it on Saturday night, Round By Round Boxing’s Staff Writer’s Lou Catalano and Gabriel Polanco go head-to-head in a brand new discussion series.
Read on for the keys to victory for each fighter and let us know who you think will win, Provodnikov vs. Algieri.
Key #1 for Chris Algieri
Stay Off the Damn Ropes
By Lou Catalano
Chris Algieri has the unenviable task of facing Ruslan “I’ve Tasted Human Flesh” Provodnikov, who is fresh off his breaking of Mike Alvarado.
Algieri has exactly zero percent chance to win if he allows Provo to pressure him out of the center of the ring. He needs to move, punch, circle, punch, and move some more.
He should think of the center of the ring as a toasty jacuzzi full of supermodels, and the corners and ropes as a frozen wasteland surrounded by Satan’s nastiest crew of demons.
Provodnikov, for all of his fury, can certainly be outboxed. While Algieri doesn’t possess wrecking-ball power, he should be able to land punches fairly easily given his height and reach advantages, coupled with the fact that Ruslan is insulted if you don’t hit him.
If he can keep Provo off balance and on the mat logo, he can win this fight.
Key #1 for Ruslan Provodnikov
Keep Pressuring
By Gabe Polanco
Ruslan Provodnikov is well known for his brawling style. His overaggressive and mauling fighting style overcomes most of his opponents and makes him one of the most fan friendly fighters in the sport. There is a reasoning for his madness of taking two to give out one, because that one punch could knock the daylights out of most opponents.
Chris Algieri is a boxer, pure and simple. He works well with space and can keep jabbing his way in. Provodnikov has had problems with pure boxers, such as Mauricio Herrera and Timothy Bradley. If he pressures Algieri to the point where he can’t breath and can’t get into his boxing rhythm where his strengths lie, then it will be a short fight.
Provodnikov needs to come out from the opening bell and just attack, but he needs to do so intelligently. Algieri isn’t known for his power, but he is weirdly tall for the 140-pound division. Standing at 5’10, he can keep the shorter Provodnikov away with his jab. Provodnikov has to set up with his jab to get inside and continue to pressure Algieri.
Key #2 for Chris Algieri
Throw Punches. Lots Of Them.
By Lou Catalano
Chris Algieri is a solid boxer, but he has to find a way to force Ruslan Provodnikov into thinking before he attacks. The only way to do that is to fire the jab and straight right hand. He must do so frequently, like all night long. The best example of how to pull this off comes from the underrated Mauricio Herrera, who peppered Provodnikov and then wrapped him up when he tried to get inside when they fought on ESPN2 Friday Night Fights in 2011.
Provodnikov is coming off a brilliant performance against Mike Alvarado, and a star-making turn against Tim Bradley. Is he due for a letdown? Algieri needs to find that out by going to work.
Bradley threw caution–and sanity–to the wind and went straight to war with the “Siberian Rocky,” and he barely survived to squeak out a win.
Algieri isn’t Tim Bradley, and he’d be suicidal to attempt that strategy. If Alvarado couldn’t win a firefight, Algieri won’t either. However, he won’t win by keeping his hands holstered.
He throws pretty straight shots, and if he can land the right hand while slipping away from anything in return, he’ll put himself in excellent position for the upset.
Algieri’s most notable opponent thus far in his undefeated career is Mike Arnaoutis, so this is a bit of a truth-seeking fight for him. Provodnikov is very good at what he does, so we’ll see if Algieri has the goods to shake him down.
Key #2 for Ruslan Provodnikov
Work the Body
Photo by Chris Farina/Top Rank
By Gabe Polanco
Something Ruslan Provodnikov did great during his fight against Mike Alvarado was working the body. He seriously hurt Alvarado the first time with a hard body shot and that opened everything else up.
Provodnikov had Freddie Roach’s head assistant, Marvin Somodio in his corner during his last fight and taking nothing away from Somodio–who is a great trainer in his own right–but he is no Roach.
Roach, I’m sure, will have a game plan to work Algieri’s midsection down and chop off his legs. With hard shots to the body, Algieri will find it harder and harder to box on the outside and use his lateral movement to stay away from Provodnikov’s looping right, which is his power shot.
As stated in the first key, his pressure throughout the fight can lead to that awesome body attack and with such a high motor, I don’t think Provodnikov will be fatigued to a point where he can’t keep it up throughout the entire fight.
