Why I Think Chris Algieri Will Beat Ruslan Provodnikov

In a nutshell: legs, stamina, volume, chin. If you want details, keep reading.

Algieri is a former Karate and Kickboxing world champion, which probably means he has an iron chin (think Vitali Klitschko). It also leads me to believe he has excellent leg coordination.

The similarities to Vitali Klitschko don't end there. The fight I recommend watching is the one with Jose Peralta Alejo, a Provodnikov clone who has never been stopped and who had only lost once by MD, with 10 wins (6 KOs, which is a high number considering those were all 6-rounders).

Algieri showed excellent stamina in that ten-rounder, throwing very high volume while moving around the ring. He also made Peralta stop in his tracks several times - the fight reminded me of Vitali vs Chisora. But one difference was that Chris protected his body against the swarming Peralta by hunching over and giving Peralta only his head, which was protected by his hands (it looks like the famous "turtle" defense).

Algieri took the punches well, but also threw an amazing amount of leather back, and Peralta at the end was overwhelmed by the volume, and Algieri took the UD. The fight was in February 2013, and Peralta hasn't fought since. Did Algieri retire him? Anyway, that is Algieri's best win, IMO.

I think the fight will be very competitive and there's a distinct chance that they go the distance and the judges get swayed by the pro-Algieri crowd, causing the hometown boy to get the decision. The odds are such that it's more than worth putting money on Algieri to win. :bbb:!:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M57IbULtem8

 

Thanks! I just hope Algieri doesn't get sparked in the first round

 

True. And there's a further question: for all we know, Peralta may actually have been a top-level fighter, but we'll never know for sure because he seems to have retired.

His only real loss is to Algieri. I know he has one other loss on his record, but that was an MD loss in a four-rounder where Peralta scored a knockdown.

That makes me think it was a hometown decision for the hometown favorite Walter Castillo, who by the way is now 24-2 and has never been stopped, but has only fought in his native Nicaragua.

 

Very possible. But if Algieri's chin is as good as I think it might be, then it will be a distance fight where Algieri's stamina and workrate could allow him to eek out a close decision.

 

Since you mentioned how the "mad Russian" shocked a hostile crowd in the Alvarado fight, it's worth mentioning that in this fight the crowd may be far more anti-Ruslan.

"Algieri" is an Italian surname, and New York is full of Italian Americans. They probably see Chris as the "last Italian hope, and will come out to support him tooth-and-nail.:happy