The future for WBO light welterweight title-holder Ruslan "Siberian Rocky" Provodnikov may have gotten clearer, as the WBO made Juan Manuel Marquez the No. 1 ranked fighter underneath Provodnikov. That ranking sets the stage for a classic matchup between brawler (Provodnikov) and counter puncher (Marquez), if "Dinamita" wants the fight.
Another option for Provodnikov, if he was thinking bigger, could have been Manny Pacquiao but according to reports he wants no part of Pacman, owing to the fact that both men share Freddie Roach as a trainer.
Provodnikov was in attendance for Pacquiao's win over Brandon Rios in China, and said he worried for his good friend and sparring partner whenever Rios launched punches. "I was very worried about Pacquiao in the fight. My hands were shaking. It was the kind of nervous feeling as if I was going into a fight," he said. "Every punch Pacquiao got away from, I was nervous."
"I don't want to fight Pacquiao, and I think I'm doing the right thing," Provodnikov said, while saying he's willing to take on Rios if he wanted. "(Rios) said he doesn't want to go back down to 140 (pounds), that he wants to stay at 147. I'm ready. I can go up to 147, that's not a problem," Provodnikov said.
Marquez is coming off of a close loss to Timothy Bradley, which "Dinamita" considered a "robbery" of a decision. He seems to have little interest in facing Ruslan, and wants a rematch with Bradley to avenge the defeat.
"I'm sad for what happened in my last fight, because I needed to win. I was more focused and stronger, but as I look to the future....what motivates me is a rematch with Bradley," Marquez said. "Nothing else could take place if I don't carry out this fight. I have to settle this issue with Timothy Bradley, as long as he accepts a rematch, because I want to make it clear who won on the 12th of October."
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