This could be the "big one" not May 2 !!!

[Chepppaaa]

may 2 we gonne get the most famous boxers getting at it (sadly could end up in a boring fight, where pac trying to catch the ever running floyd, i hope i am wrong), but tonight we will surely see the most exciting fight in years, i expect matt - provod to be in all time great fight in terms of action & excitemant, expect fireworks and a great ending.

i think after both fights, when all the hype is gone, most of us will say "this fight between provodnikov against matthysse was the real big one, not the lopsided boring UD of floyd!"

[handsofstone]

I've said numerous times on here already that this fights gonna be up there with the very best,I can already see a rematch

[Chepppaaa]

I've said numerous times on here already that this fights gonna be up there with the very best,I can already see a rematch

exactly

i mean often do warriors fight each other, often whenever mexicans go in the ring against each other. so a brawl is nothing rare.

but often those mexican do not have power and they hit each other and nothing happens and it goes on for 12 rounds.

this is a rare fight, between 2 warriors, who not only go to war, but go for the finish and on top, both are strong punches, both hurt and knock people out. this gonne be a absolut war with dramatic end. i would realy be surprised if it turns out anything less than this.

[NateJR]

Although any real boxing fan loves a good brawl, the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight is still the "BIG ONE". Mattysse and Provodnikov could very well give us the fight of the year, but the importance of this fight for boxing and so many other variables makes this just another fight. Lets be real here, Garcia vs. Peterson was on the same level as this fight as far as the skill that will be in the ring, I was just as excited to see that fight than I will be for this fight tonight. Mayweather/Pacquiao is between 2 of the best fights in the past 10 years and between the 2 biggest names in boxing for all the marbles. I get it, Provo, Mattys could be more exciting, but the importance of the fight for the sport of boxing isn't anywhere close. This fight will get the hardcore fans pumped, I'm really excited for this fight but as far as the talent that will be in the ring, we see 10 fights a years with guys of this caliber in the ring together. Ya'll are hyping this fight up so much I think you're asking to be disappointed when the fight isn't even close to giving us the fireworks of Gatti/Ward I.

[Chepppaaa]

Although any real boxing fan loves a good brawl, the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight is still the "BIG ONE". Mattysse and Provodnikov could very well give us the fight of the year, but the importance of this fight for boxing and so many other variables makes this just another fight. Lets be real here, Garcia vs. Peterson was on the same level as this fight as far as the skill that will be in the ring, I was just as excited to see that fight than I will be for this fight tonight. Mayweather/Pacquiao is between 2 of the best fights in the past 10 years and between the 2 biggest names in boxing for all the marbles. I get it, Provo, Mattys could be more exciting, but the importance of the fight for the sport of boxing isn't anywhere close. This fight will get the hardcore fans pumped, I'm really excited for this fight but as far as the talent that will be in the ring, we see 10 fights a years with guys of this caliber in the ring together. Ya'll are hyping this fight up so much I think you're asking to be disappointed when the fight isn't even close to giving us the fireworks of Gatti/Ward I.

okay, lets put it this way. this fight shows 2 of the best boxers in the last 15 years. and this fight will show us who had the best career in the last 12 years, the best record, whoever will win the fight, will have a mayor win on his record which will put him 1 in the ranking best record of the last 20 years.

but the final question what we will have to ask us is, what is more important to me as a fan, knowing who the best 1, which resultat in an boring fight, or watching a fight for the ages and still talking with friends about what happened years ago "you remember chris how great this provodnikov matthysse fight was?" ....chris:" yeah i remember, one of the best ring wars i have ever seen."

for me, last is more important. althoug the dream scenario would be, that floyd and pacquiao fight in a great entertaining fight, regardless of who wins, so we get both a great fight and a clearness of the best fighter on the planet is. but i doubt it, because floyd rarely goes in the ring to please the crowd, always playing it safe.

and 100 % no, peterson or danny are good boxers, maybe even better than matt and provod, but in terms of warrior spirit and against matt vs pro is 3 times better than pet vs dan match up. i am not talking about quality, but in terms of what they bring to the table in terms of excitemant and action.

[NateJR]

Although any real boxing fan loves a good brawl, the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight is still the "BIG ONE". Mattysse and Provodnikov could very well give us the fight of the year, but the importance of this fight for boxing and so many other variables makes this just another fight. Lets be real here, Garcia vs. Peterson was on the same level as this fight as far as the skill that will be in the ring, I was just as excited to see that fight than I will be for this fight tonight. Mayweather/Pacquiao is between 2 of the best fights in the past 10 years and between the 2 biggest names in boxing for all the marbles. I get it, Provo, Mattys could be more exciting, but the importance of the fight for the sport of boxing isn't anywhere close. This fight will get the hardcore fans pumped, I'm really excited for this fight but as far as the talent that will be in the ring, we see 10 fights a years with guys of this caliber in the ring together. Ya'll are hyping this fight up so much I think you're asking to be disappointed when the fight isn't even close to giving us the fireworks of Gatti/Ward I.

okay, lets put it this way. this fight shows 2 of the best boxers in the last 15 years. and this fight will show us who had the best career in the last 12 years, the best record, whoever will win the fight, will have a mayor win on his record which will put him 1 in the ranking best record of the last 20 years.

but the final question what we will have to ask us is, what is more important to me as a fan, knowing who the best 1, which resultat in an boring fight, or watching a fight for the ages and still talking with friends about what happened years ago "you remember chris how great this provodnikov matthysse fight was?" ....chris:" yeah i remember, one of the best ring wars i have ever seen."

for me, last is more important. althoug the dream scenario would be, that floyd and pacquiao fight in a great entertaining fight, regardless of who wins, so we get both a great fight and a clearness of the best fighter on the planet is. but i doubt it, because floyd rarely goes in the ring to please the crowd, always playing it safe.

and 100 % no, peterson or danny are good boxers, maybe even better than matt and provod, but in terms of warrior spirit and against matt vs pro is 3 times better than pet vs dan match up. i am not talking about quality, but in terms of what they bring to the table in terms of excitemant and action.

We have a different opinion when it comes to what makes a fight "important". If you're in it for the entertainment alone, I understand your point of view. But I get excited every time there's a fight between 2 top fighters and it could end up being a competitive fight. I don't get any more excited about a fight that could potentially be a "brawl", more times than not, fights that are billed to be great fights like this don't end being as great as they were billed to be. At least half of the title of thread is correct, this "could" be a great fight, but it will never be the "BIG ONE".

[Ricky_]

Can't wait for the fight tonight, but let's face it, it's a bar room brawl compared to May/Pac.

[Chepppaaa]

Can't wait for the fight tonight, but let's face it, it's a bar room brawl compared to May/Pac.

a bar brawl can be more exciting than a floyd fight, ecspially when he only does enough to win, but nothing to impress the croad (may/guerr bout for example)

i think a lot of people getit twisted a bit, big name vs big name doesnt nescerraly mean a good fight. leonard duran II was boring, ali foreman up until the KO was a lopsided boring fight where foreman was using ali as a punchign bag and ali doing 0 to safe energy. i mean just because pac and floyd are the biggest names in boxing does not mean it will be something terrific, but like i said, i hope i am wrong, i am a fan of boxing, i dont care who wins, i just hope its a great fight.

[Ricky_]

Can't wait for the fight tonight, but let's face it, it's a bar room brawl compared to May/Pac.

a bar brawl can be more exciting than a floyd fight, ecspially when he only does enough to win, but nothing to impress the croad (may/guerr bout for example)

i think a lot of people getit twisted a bit, big name vs big name doesnt nescerraly mean a good fight. leonard duran II was boring, ali foreman up until the KO was a lopsided boring fight where foreman was using ali as a punchign bag and ali doing 0 to safe energy. i mean just because pac and floyd are the biggest names in boxing does not mean it will be something terrific, but like i said, i hope i am wrong, i am a fan of boxing, i dont care who wins, i just hope its a great fight.

Ali was ahead when he knocked out Foreman.

[ikorolev]

may 2 we gonne get the most famous boxers getting at it (sadly could end up in a boring fight, where pac trying to catch the ever running floyd, i hope i am wrong), but tonight we will surely see the most exciting fight in years, i expect matt - provod to be in all time great fight in terms of action & excitemant, expect fireworks and a great ending.

i think after both fights, when all the hype is gone, most of us will say "this fight between provodnikov against matthysse was the real big one, not the lopsided boring UD of floyd!"

... and Canelo vs Kirkland will likely be much more entertaining than the superfight.

[Chepppaaa]

Can't wait for the fight tonight, but let's face it, it's a bar room brawl compared to May/Pac.

a bar brawl can be more exciting than a floyd fight, ecspially when he only does enough to win, but nothing to impress the croad (may/guerr bout for example)

i think a lot of people getit twisted a bit, big name vs big name doesnt nescerraly mean a good fight. leonard duran II was boring, ali foreman up until the KO was a lopsided boring fight where foreman was using ali as a punchign bag and ali doing 0 to safe energy. i mean just because pac and floyd are the biggest names in boxing does not mean it will be something terrific, but like i said, i hope i am wrong, i am a fan of boxing, i dont care who wins, i just hope its a great fight.

Ali was ahead when he knocked out Foreman.

did you even watch the fight?

norton was robbed against ali

foreman won like every single round until the ko, simply landed much more than ali did, ali did nothing, besides staying in the rope an taking punches.
ali was holding and crabing the first and the rest rounds he was on the ropes taking shots. judges were simply bought.

[koolkc107]

It is going to be a very good fight while it lasts.

But as far as importance, this is not a big fight.

Maybe the most fan friendly match this year will see tho...

[Ricky_]

did you even watch the fight?

norton was robbed against ali

foreman won like every single round until the ko, simply landed much more than ali did, ali did nothing, besides staying in the rope an taking punches.
ali was holding and crabing the first and the rest rounds he was on the ropes taking shots. judges were simply bought.

[benion]

This fight is gonna be a let down. Unless Provodnikov has suddenly learned how to cut off the ring and work off the jab to set up his power i don't see him being much trouble for Lucas. Lucas is a skilled boxer with power. Provodnikov hasn't faced a fighter with skill and power. Provodnikov's power is easily neutralized by movement. Combine Lucas decent footwork with his above average power and i see Provodnikov being TKO'd. Lucas will be able to land flush shots that all of Provodnikov's opponents have landed against him. The difference will be Matthysse's power. TKO Lucas, easy work.

[koolkc107]

This fight is gonna be a let down. Unless Provodnikov has suddenly learned how to cut off the ring and work off the jab to set up his power i don't see him being much trouble for Lucas. Lucas is a skilled boxer with power. Provodnikov hasn't faced a fighter with skill and power. Provodnikov's power is easily neutralized by movement. Combine Lucas decent footwork with his above average power and i see Provodnikov being TKO'd. Lucas will be able to land flush shots that all of Provodnikov's opponents have landed against him. The difference will be Matthysse's power. TKO Lucas, easy work.

Lucas is not a skilled boxer. Which is why he had so much trouble against guys who DO have skill.

Provodnikov has faced at least two men (Bradley and Herrera) who are lightyears ahead of Matthysse in the skill department,
and showed well against both in losing efforts.

He will find Matthysse much easier than those guys in comparison.

Algieri is somewhat skilled as well, and many thought Ruslan won that fight.

Lucas's chance in this fight is the same chance he has in every fight: his power.

Only he is facing a guy who also has power, one who has arguably been in against better competition.

[crusader]

I think Lucas's skills are overrated. Sure, he's not as crude as Provo or John Molina, but he's not difficult to hit, often throws wide, telegraphed punches, and he can be prone to following opponents in straight lines rather than effectively cutting the ring off. He's never shown the type of boxing skills benion's described against a decent opponent and he looked very limited at times against Garcia, Molina, and Judah.

I don't see why it's widely thought that his skills are underrated when there is so much recognition of them, and while he is more skillful than Provo and may well use that advantage to win tonight, I won't be surprised if Provo drags him into a brawl and outlasts him.

[koolkc107]

I think Lucas's skills are overrated. Sure, he's not as crude as Provo or John Molina, but he's not difficult to hit, often throws wide, telegraphed punches, and he can be prone to following opponents in straight lines rather than effectively cutting the ring off. He's never shown the type of boxing skills benion's described against a decent opponent and he looked very limited at times against Garcia, Molina, and Judah.

I don't see why it's widely thought that his skills are underrated when there is so much recognition of them, and while he is more skillful than Provo and may well use that advantage to win tonight, I won't be surprised if Provo drags him into a brawl and outlasts him.

Well, as I said earlier, Provo has shown well against guys who had more skill than Lucas does.

Sure, if Lucas catches him he can get Ruslan out of there- Matthysse can hurt anyone he hits flush.

But, if folks are depending on some kind of huge skill advantage for Lucas as his road to victory, they may be disappointed.

Bigtime.

[benion]

Provodnikov's resume is nowhere near Matthysse's. In no particular order
1. Peterson
2. Harris
3. Alexander
4. Soto
5. Judah
6. Garcia

Provodnikov:
1. Bradley
2. Herrera
3. Alvarado
4. Algeiri

Those are the most skilled boxers Provodnikov has faced. Bradley is more skilled than Lucas but lacks power. Herrera is skilled, i wouldn't necessarily say he's more skilled than Lucas and he also lacks power. Alvarado & Algeiri are not more skilled than Matthyssee. Alvarado has decent power but neither he nor Algeiri has the power that Lucas has.

Let me clarify. Lucas is not the most skilled fighter Provo has faced. But Lucas is the first fighter with skill and power combined that Provodnikov has faced.

[crusader]

Fights aren't won by resumes and I don't think there is a major difference between Provo and LMM's opposition anyway; LMM has the edge overall but Provo's fought some good opponents, including the best opponent between them in my opinion. I don't agree that LMM is at least as skilled as Herrera and I thought the latter looked significantly less limited against Garcia despite an obvious lack of power, while to me Algeri seems to have notably better movement than LMM, which I believe is the main thing that troubled Ruslan. It's true that Ruslan hasn't fought someone with LMM's combo of power and basic skill, but that doesn't mean that he won't be able to effectively cope with it and I'm not sure that LMM has fought someone with Ruslan's combination of durability and tenacity. For all the skill you talk about Lucas certainly looked vulnerable against the very crude Molina, and I doubt that tonight will be easy for him even if he wins.

Oh, and LOL at the shot Harris being included in the above list--that one of the worst stoppages I've seen and Harris was stopped in one by Jesse Vargas two fights later.

[benion]

I underestimated Provodnikov's chin but it was easy work for Lucas just like i predicted. Provodnikov's boxing skills are severely limited. He's a C- level fighter. His chin, not his power, is his greatest asset. He doesn't have the skill to use his power to his advantage.

[Ian1973]

Provodnikov's chin is absolutely unbelievable, he doesn't even flinch, ever, much like Golovkin. You set off a nuclear bomb on that chin and Provo would just keep walking forward.

[kidbazooka1]

Provodnikov's chin is absolutely unbelievable, he doesn't even flinch, ever, much like Golovkin. You set off a nuclear bomb on that chin and Provo would just keep walking forward.

Yup that chin is stone he was getting cracked by Lucas fuucking Matthysse yet he ate them and kept on coming.

But after the beating Ruslan took i doubt he will come back the same. Those kind of power shots are career changing.

[crusader]

I underestimated Provodnikov's chin but it was easy work for Lucas just like i predicted. Provodnikov's boxing skills are severely limited. He's a C- level fighter. His chin, not his power, is his greatest asset. He doesn't have the skill to use his power to his advantage.

It wasn't easy work at all. He had to work hard throughout, especially over the second half, and he was rocked multiple times.

A clear win in my opinion (though I've seen several 114-114 cards) but competitive and far from easy.

[kidbazooka1]

What about Matthysses chin alotta ppl here were underestimating it cuz of the molina fight. But man he took some monster shots from Ruslan aswell.

But what folks didn't keep in mind was that the Garcia knock down was not legit Lucas went down cuz he felt he was low blowed iirc. And one molina kd was bogus since it was waay behind the head imo only one kd was legit and that was the first with molina.

I've mentioned molina as raw as he is has ko power as evident in his come from behind ko of mickey bey.

[Ian1973]

What about Matthysses chin alotta ppl here were underestimating it cuz of the molina fight. But man he took some monster shots from Ruslan aswell.

But what folks didn't keep in mind was that the Garcia knock down was not legit Lucas went down cuz he felt he was low blowed iirc. And one molina kd was bogus since it was waay behind the head imo only one kd was legit and that was the first with molina.

I've mentioned molina as raw as he is has ko power as evident in his come from behind ko of mickey bey.

I think Matthysse has a very good chin, a sort of 8.5 / 10 chin.

There are the freaks though that are just indestructible. I wouldn't put Matthysse's chin in quite that league.