Both Alvarado and Provodnikov, shown here, punch with evil intentions
[BoxingGlove Notes]
Imagine a mini-Mike Tyson at his peak fighting a mini-Mike Tyson at his peak when it comes to wicked punching.
Just like the classic old time western movie, “Duel in the Sun”, starring Academy Award winners, Jennifer Jones and Gregory Peck, W.B.O. Junior Welterweight Champ Mike Alvarado, 34-1-, 25 knockouts, will “duel” with Ruslan Provodnikov, on Saturday, October 19, 2013, at the 1st. Bank Center, Broomfield, Colorado.
So sit back because this may hurt.
Alvarado, 33 years old and known as “Mile High”, contracted to defend his title against Provodnikov after a 3rd. fight with Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios was not realized because although Rios wanted the 3rd fight, he suddenly agreed to fight Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao, in December 9, 2013 in Macao, China.
Boxing experts have totally agreed that this championship fight between Alvarado and Provodnikov, known as “The Russian Hands of Stone”, has the makings of a fistic war which will actually result in one bloodied, “last man standing” finale if a knockout does not occur before the end of this 12 round fight.
Both of these men are warriors who although trained in the art of the sweet science of boxing, almost from the first bell will abandon that format and literally go to war because their temperament dictates it almost like an adrenalin rush.
Alvarado, formerly the I.B.F. Latino 140 Pound Champ, was born in Denver, Colorado of a fighting Mexican family. Mike Alvarado’s father Ron Cisneros, was an 18-0 slugger known as “The Rocky Mountain Assassin”, and an older brother fought briefly. Surprisingly, Alvarado became a star wrestler in his high school, winning 2 wrestling titles, but turned down a College wrestling scholarship, and turned to boxing. As an amateur boxer he compiled a record of 25-6 and after 3 years he made his pro debut winning by knockout. “Mile High” Alvarado went undefeated until his 34th.fight, when he lost to also undefeated 140 pounder, Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios by a 7th.round knockout, March 20, 2012, in a fight that was labeled a bloodbath.
Both combatants suffered severe cuts and bruises on their faces, and bodies earning this fight, the “Fight of the Year”, title. In the rematch a few months later, Alvarado fighting cautiously and boxing more defeated Rios by a unanimous decision, handing Rios his first loss.
Ruslan Provodnikov, 29 born in Beryozone, Russia with a record of 22-2, 15 k.o.’s, is a 5 feet 6 inch, powerfully built Jake La Motta type slugger who attacks you throwing punches in bunches with reckless abandon no matter how much punishment he absorbs. He is the current Asian Boxing Council 140 pound champ, and also the W.B.O. Intercontinental 140 pound champ. Before he turned pro in December 3, 2006, he amassed an impressive amateur boxing record of 150 fights with only 20 losses, while winning the 105 pound Euro Cadet Junior Title in 2000, at the Ukraine Games, and also was the 2005, 151 pound finalist in Russia’s World Cup Games.
Provodnikov, who is trained by Freddy Roach fought current W.B.O. 147 pound champ Timothy Bradley on March 16, 2013 in a thriller, and although he lost by a close but unanimous decision he almost knocked out the undefeated Bradley.
Who is going to come out fast and start this fistic phone booth war is anybody’s guess which will probably allow appointed referee, Tony Weeks to have an easy night since they both hardly clinch. Now the assigned Judges, Dennis Nelson, Robert Hoyle, and Levi Martinez, will have a tougher task since they will have to really define who is the more hurt boxer, and who is scoring the harder punches since they both could take punishment and retaliate.
From my view this is a very difficult fight to judge, I’ll just play it “safe”, and say it is a “pick-em” fight, or a duel to the end.
