Ruslan Provodnikov: Unlikely That I Will Ever Fight Again

[Ruthless-RKO]

Former WBO junior welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov admits that a ring return, at this point, is highly unlikely.

Provodnikov, only 33 years old, has been out of the ring since June of 2016, when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to John Molina. The contest was Provodnikov's Showtime televised debut, and the loss derailed some major plans for the boxer.

The 'Siberian Rocky' was a big fan favorite for his all-action style in the ring, but he also took a lot of punishment during his fights with Tim Bradley, Mike Alvarado, Lucas Matthysse and others.

After the loss to Molina, he was 3-4 in his last seven outings in the ring.

Since December 2016, Provodnikov has kept himself very busy outside of the ring with several ventures - including a political career in Russia that is quickly taking off.

While the tough slugger is still often seen at ringside during the major events in Russia, he says the desire is no longer there - even when he's ringside watching competitive fights.

"Who knows [what could happen in the future], there may be an offer that will be interesting to me. While I attend boxing events and fights - I understand that I do not have the desire to enter the ring. I am more comfortable outside the ring, when I'm there as a guest. I train for pleasure, for myself, for fun, I work so much, I get up almost every day at 4 am. I do not have enough time [in the day], but I feel it necessary, I have something to do," Provodnikov said to Vasily Konov.

"I'm happy right now. When would I reach the point of no return? Honestly, I do not know, but probably I'm already there in principle. It is probably unlikely that I will return to the ring."

[greg]

..glad he's smart enough to have realised that..

[gilgamesh]

I always loved Provo, but after John Molina outboxed him I knew there wasn't really anything left for him in this sport. I hope he's well, and I hope he sticks to his guns and stays retired. It was a pleasure to watch him.

[Tanzio]

I am happy the The Provoglodyte is happy. Stay retired and happy!

[jamamb]

he had a really good career for how skill less he was. can anyone name me a world champ, consensus top 10 who was less refined?not even carlos maussa !

[TheBeast]

he had a really good career for how skill less he was. can anyone name me a world champ, consensus top 10 who was less refined?not even carlos maussa !

Wilder?

[boxing_rocks]

he had a really good career for how skill less he was. can anyone name me a world champ, consensus top 10 who was less refined?not even carlos maussa !

Wilder?

Rios and Alvarado if we are talking about the same size.

[jamamb]

rios and alvarado werent as crude. or wilder. prov coukd never pull of something like alvarados outboxing of rios or wilders jab and move on stiverne.pretty much all will, strength, and a freak chin.

[boxing_rocks]

rios and alvarado werent as crude. or wilder. prov coukd never pull of something like alvarados outboxing of rios or wilders jab and move on stiverne.pretty much all will, strength, and a freak chin.

Is there a Russian you don't hate? Anybody is not as crude as Wilder or Rios. Alvarado couldn't outbox Provo, could he?

[jamamb]

ya, great argument. provodnikov got to alvarado with constant pressure, chin, and will, so provodnikov is not more crude than alvaradob

i like plenty of russians. roy jones for example.

[candyslim]

I am happy the The Provoglodyte is happy. Stay retired and happy!

This

i like plenty of russians. roy jones for example.

That almost made me spit my coffee all over my keyboard

[Badhusker]

I hope Provo doesn't fight again. I always wanted to see him vs Pacquiao though. He lost enough brain cells though. Best of luck to him.

[jamamb]

him vs the less crude rios wouldve been bran cell depleting good fun.

[boxing_rocks]

"Less crude" Rios wouldn't even be a challenge. Provo would walk through him.

[Ricky_]

The Provodnikov is a force of nature. Really unlucky that he was robbed of a first round KO of Tim Bradley. He could have made serious money vs Pacquiao.

[Ricky_]

"Less crude" Rios wouldn't even be a challenge. Provo would walk through him.

Easy.

Matthysse is better than Rios in every way - i was intrigued to see which guy would take the first backward step, but Provodnikov had him on his bike! He may have lost the decision but he out-gunned & out-toughed Lucas.

[SaadOffTheDeck]

Rios could have definitely beat ruslan. Lol at that being a mismatch.

[Ricky_]

No chance, Rios is a pussy that ran away every second vs Pac & got stopped by feather fists Timmy. Not sure what anyone ever saw in Rios, he racked up a record bowling guys over after draining ridiculous amounts and often missing weight. His only notable victory imo was Alvarado but Provodnikov dusted Mike down much more comprehensively than Rios & Marquez did.

[Taansend]

Quality bloke. Best of luck to him in the rest of his life.

[SenorPipino]

He was definitely on the downside. Took an enormous amount of punishment during his career, even during winning efforts.

His face was always a battered mess at the end of bouts, even against feather-fisted Algieri.

At this point, Provodnikov would be a punching bag for any capable fighter.

[boxing_rocks]

Yes, he took a lot of punishment, especially from Matthysse. Losing to John Molina says it all.

On top of being a face forward brawler, he has a sensitive skin, so his face is a mess almost every fight. However, that was not the case against Algieri where Provo's face was perfectly fine illustrating that Algieri's punches had zero pop in them which is why Provo ignored them. It is Algieri's face which was a mess:


That fight should've been stopped by a doctor and of course shouldn't have been scored for Algieri.

[Badhusker]

No chance, Rios is a pussy that ran away every second vs Pac & got stopped by feather fists Timmy. Not sure what anyone ever saw in Rios, he racked up a record bowling guys over after draining ridiculous amounts and often missing weight. His only notable victory imo was Alvarado but Provodnikov dusted Mike down much more comprehensively than Rios & Marquez did.

I could be mistaken, but I remember Manny running away more than Rios did.

[TooMuch]

He works for the goverment now, so why keep getting hit on the head?

[jewboypgh]

a shame. but its probably time. likes watchin this kid....but like gatti.....he took a savage beating his whole career