Maidana vs Provodnikov, World War 3 Coming in 2014?

Provodnikov has one more fight left for his HBO deal with Top Rank and after that he's free to challenge whoever he wants next year. If Juan Manuel Marquez indeed retires and if Pacquiao and Bradley have their rematch next year to settle the score then the obvious opponent of choice for Provodnikov becomes Brandon Rios but what if Rios is advised by his coach Robert Gargia to decline the Provodnikov fight and take next year off to rest, heal and train after the brutal beatings he took from Alvarado and Pacquiao. Rios is also financially set right now so he's in no rush to get into the ring with a killer like Provodnikov next year and go to war again so soon. What if Provodnikov challenges Maidana for his WBA Welterweight title next year and they fight on September, 2014 in a match broadcast by Showtime. How would this fight go? After seeing Maidana get dominated by Devon Alexander so badly, I honestly thought he had lost his fire and his heart for the sport and wrote him off the map. I knew that Broner wasn't gonna knock him out but as much as I hate Broner for his nonstop trash talking I thought for sure that Broner would decision him but Maidana proved me wrong and he's still got his fire and his heart for this sport.

In this match-up, I would favor Provodnikov because of the fact that he has never been dominated by an opponent to the point where he was forced to take backwards steps towards the ropes like the way Maidana did under Alexander's onslaught. Provodnikov in my opinion possesses the sturdier chin, stronger body and most importantly I suspect he possesses more DETERMINATION than Maidana who has great determination himself but there are a rare few kill or die in the ring type of warriors who would literally rather die than take a step backwards and in my opinion Provodnikov is one of those rare few while Maidana clearly exhibited against Alexander that he is NOT a kill or die in the ring type of warrior. However maybe he has got his fire and killer instinct back after some soul searching as he stated that he was seriously considering retirement after a bad loss to Devon Alexander.

As far as punching power, I have to admit that Maidana hits harder but I wouldn't say there's a significant difference in the force of their punches. Provodnikov put the iron chinned Bradley on the canvas twice, one in the 1st round with a MONSTER overhand right that would have put ANY welterweight other than Bradley straight to sleep and that includes Maidana but even as a huge Provodnikov fan I have to concede the power advantage to Maidana as Maidana has a much higher knockout percentage. Pertaining to the offensive psychology of the fighters, when it comes down to aggression and killer instinct, I think Provodnikov takes it here without much argument, Maidana is a legit killer but Provodnikov's aggression and killer instinct is a notch above Maidana's in my opinion.

What it all simply comes down to is this, I think Provodnikov will be able to take Maidana's punches better than Maidana can take Provodnikov's punches due to Provodnikov possessing the sturdier chin, stronger body and more determination than Maidana. Provodnikov packs monstrous force behind his punches and he throws them with vicious intentions and unlike Broner he will be blasting Maidana's liver with the left hook, Maidana will be doing the same thing to Provodnikov you say but which one of the two can ABSORB the other's punches better? My answer is Provodnikov.

 

Yeah but Maidana has knocked out LOTS of guys and a lot of those guys we don't know if Provodnikov would have been able to knock out. Plus observe the difference between their knockout percentages. Maidana KO% 81.58, Provodnikov KO% 64.00. I'm a huge fan of Provodnikov but Maidana might hit just slightly harder but for me there's no doubt as far as who possesses the better chin and the more dangerous offensive psychology.

 

Maidana is slightly taller and slightly heavier but Provodnikov is stockier and has the thicker muscles. I would say Provodnikov is built thicker and this doesn't make or break a fight as Broner was thicker than Maidana in the muscle department but it IS a factor when it comes to durability and being able to absorb punches better and Broner DID survive the match despite the vicious haymakers and the brutal body work he received from Maidana.

 

Imagine Provodnikov VS Matthysse on Showtime.