Lucas Martin Matthysse vs. Ruslan Provodnikov

March 28th at StubHub Center. :toney

This will either be for the vacant WBO 140lb world title, or a final eliminator for it. Matthysse is WBO #2, and Provodnikov #3. Chris Algieri is still #1, and was supposed to meet WBO 135lb champion Terence Crawford rising up to challenge for the vacant belt a week earlier, on March 21st, but Algieri priced himself out (and may have frozen himself out from a chance to regain his belt with his greedy hubris)

They are both also rated in the WBC top 5, so the winner could be in a position to challenge Danny Garcia as well (a rematch in Matthysse's case) - if he ever deigns to resume defending it, that is. Matthysse is #2, Provodnikov #5.

 

Corley actually rocked Provodnikov numerous times, and busted up his face, in a fight that was far closer than what the official scorecards indicated. This gets forgotten, as the main event was overshadowed by the Kovalev vs. Simakov tragedy on the undercard.

Of course, there was also the matter of Matthysse going down multiple times and getting cut by Molina - a worse fighter arguably than even the aging, 66% victory rate, full on journeyman-mode version of Chop.

Still, though.

Matthysse is more powerful and seems to have the better chin, and if people are worried about the Garcia war having ruined him they need to remember that Provodnikov (unlike Matthysse) has essentially blocked punches with his face almost exclusively for his entire career. Even against light punchers like Algieri or average ones like Bradley, that many flush shots do add up.

 

:good

http://www.boxingforum24.com/showthread.php?t=281223&page=4