Ruslan Provodnikov vs. Jose Luis Castillo
Tony Calcara, Staff Writer
There’s a better chance of fan man showing up than Jose Luis Castillo winning.
Ruslan Provodnikov will take out whatever frustration and aggravation he has on what equates to a live punching bag.
Provodnikov wins easy.
Prediction: Provodnikov
Brandon Glass, Contributing Writer
Why? Why is this fight even happening? Does anyone care about Jose Luis Castillo’s well-being?
Surely, somebody had to tell him this is a bad idea. Castillo, the man they say beat Floyd Mayweather (unofficially), has been in some wars. I could list them, but trust me, he doesn’t have anything left.
Well, nothing that will stop Ruslan Provodnikov. This is an unhealthy decision to further his career; let alone face someone like Provodnikov for the faded, two time champion.
In my humble opinion, a bad look for all involved.
Prediction: Provodnikov
Lauren Pinkerton, Staff Writer
My heart goes out to Jose Luis Castillo on this, but Ruslan Provodnikov is going to win. He has to, after that unfortunate loss to Chris Algieri. If Provo can’t pull a win from a 40-year-old guy who hasn’t fought a competitive fight in seven years, then something is seriously wrong.
Both are great pressure fighters, and both work well inside, so Provo is going to need to tire the old man down before he decides to step in. For the first few rounds he’ll just need to control the tempo and keep Castillo’s cardio working.
This fight, to me, is more about their mental state than physical attributes. For Castillo, this is a why-the-hell-not kind of fight. Ruslan’s having a hard time finding a fight since Algieri? No problem, Castillo is here to the rescue.
For Provodnikov though, he needs this fight. A win here will put him back on the map, but a loss could put him out of everyone’s minds for a while.
Prediction: Provodnikov
Alex Burgos, Editor-in-Chief
Like our staffer JC Burgos said on our most recent podcast, this is why boxing is not a mainstream sport. This massacre might make the highlight reels in the US simply because someone might die. By someone I mean Jose Luis Castillo.
I expect The Siberian Rocky to come out hungry and ready to kill and if Castillo makes it out of Round 1 I’ll be shocked. In the end, Ruslan Provodnikov scores a knockout.
Prediction: Provodnikov
