“This is another opponent of mine that is probably going to go to the hospital right now, the same way that Bradley did – and they go to the hospital as champions and I think it’s unfair.” – Ruslan Provodnikov
In my eyes, if you’re planning walking backwards for an entire fight then you had better keep the ring generalship rule fresh in your mind. I have witnessed many incredible fighters win fights on their back foot, but at the same time they were landing effective, game-changing blows on their opponent.
Chris Algieri certainly out-jabbed the former WBO junior welterweight champion, but did little else in his title winning effort Saturday night. In fact, you could call what Algieri did “just enough” to keep himself from getting absolutely steamrolled into Bolivian (as Mike Tyson would say) by the Siberian Rocky. From the onset, Ruslan Provodnikov hunted down Algieri and cut off the ring effectively en route to two knockdowns and an eye mutilation.
After the fight it had looked like Provodnikov just stepped out of the shower and Chris Algieri literally got hit by a car.
On the other hand and from an alternate perspective, I suppose I can not argue with the decision too (TOO) much. Ruslan was fighting in his opponent’s back yard and against a partisan crowd (and judges). Provodnikov’s trainer, Freddie Roach even saw the climate of the situation and informed his charge that he’d likely need a knockout in order to secure a victory as the fight wore on.
At the post-fight press conference, Roach would state:
“In my view power punches win fights, he may have out jabbed us but with power punches it was 1000 to one and we landed most of the shots and that’s why I thought we won the fight.”
As they say in boxing and in life, shit happens – and it wouldn’t be the first time that Ruslan Provodnikov would suffer a defeat that some thought was unjustified. Most unbiased fans thought that the multiple uncalled knockdowns that Provodnikov scored against Timothy Bradley would have been enough to swing that encounter in his favor if referee Pat Russell hadn’t botched the calls…
Now, Chris Algieri is reportedly calling for the head of Manny Pacquiao following his upset victory. According to promoter Bob Arum, the winner of last night’s fight would likely get a shot at the WBO welterweight champ…Of course, this is assuming that Arum planned on Algieri possibly winning Saturday’s main event.
However, according to sources…This was Ruslan Provodnikov’s last fight with Top Rank…And you know how Bob Arum likes to set his fighters lose with an extra loss on their record “for the road”…
Demetrius Andrade is another boxer who has grandiose plans for himself. For months now, Andrade has been telling the world through social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook that he is undoubtedly deserving of an opportunity to dethrone boxing’s top star, Floyd Mayweather.
Though the former Olympian is most certainly talented and he does possess what appears a difficult style, his two most notable victories hardly quantify such a claim. In his latest outing, Andrade defended the vacant title he won in November of last year (against Vanes Martirosyan) from the mostly stationary Brian Rose. While Andrade looked in fantastic form, it’s honestly hard to gauge his progression against a human punching bag.
In other news, one of boxing’s favorite fighters (?) was live and in full effect from the Barclay’s Center on Saturday night. Not fulfilling the duties that most reknowned him for, but in his apparent new role in boxing at the moment, ringside – commenting on the action.
Andre Ward is a far cry from the man who dominated the Super Six Boxing Classic years ago. The Oakland based fighter does little these days save talking on the occasional spot in an HBO broadcast when Roy Jones Junior isn’t around.
It’s a shame, too. Without constant practice, the 30 year-old Ward’s skills will surely erode – with only 27 professional fights to his name and without a meaningful bout in his foreseeable future, Andre Ward may be preminantly bypassing his prime years.
How about a fight outside of California, Andre?
This week, for obvious reasons, we’re going to be zeroing in on a Russian dish known as Salad Olivier. Similar to the American classic potato salad, the Olivier version shares many of the same ingredients.
You will need 5 boiled potatoes, skinned, 3 carrots – boiled as well, 4 hard boiled eggs (see previous editions of The Sunday Brunch for perfect HBE instructions), 1 can of sweet peas, 1 half bottle of good quality mayonnaise, 3 (refrigerated) kosher dill pickles. You can also add in some “boiled” meat, if this sounds horrible to you, or you’d rather use a different cooking method for your favorite meat, feel free to substitute at your whim.
Take your cooled and cooked potatoes, carrots and eggs and cut into rustic dice. Add to that your diced pickles, green peas (meat if using), mayo and season to taste. Let set up in the cooler for 3-4 hours and enjoy with your favorite babushka and Matryoshka doll collection.
Next week we’ll have the American version of this great recipe, completely updated and modernized. Thanks for tuning in again this week, we’ll be back next time with a recap of the Vasyl Lomachenko – Gary Russell bout, also we’re going to touch on Robert Guerrero’s come back bout. We will be reviewing the 1980’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle action figures along with the Technodrome and pizza flinging turtle mobile. If you have any 80’s toys that need a good swift reviewing don’t hesitate to contact me at JESSEBOXINGTRIBUNE@GMAIL.COM or pretend we’re friends on Twitter @JESSEBOXING. Until next time, sante!
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