2013 was a rare chance to celebrate for the Mansi peoples of Russia. Plagued by poverty and born into a world of piercing cold weather, the Mansi have little to warm their hearts. However the ten thousand native inhabitants of this region found joy and success in their son, who with the ferocity of his native environment and a will of iron managed to seize upon a world title in true Rocky style.
Ruslan Provodnikov, the Siberian Rocky as he is affectionately known by his fans and fans of the sweet science alike, took the wider boxing audience by storm in 2013 with his two ring wars with Timothy Bradley and Mike Alvarado. Ruslan started life out in a small village in Siberia, learning about life in one of the harshest and most unforgiving climates in the world. Growing up he became accustomed to hunger and privation, having to go and find food for himself and his family in order to survive. His family would often eat their food; any meats, fish or vegetables they could gather, raw - and it is to this that he attributes his unsettling power. On certain festive occasions, the Mansi hunt wild bears and consume everything from the meat to the organs, including the heart which is a favourite of the Siberian Rocky.
As a native Mansi in Russia, he often got into fights on the streets with people who disliked him because of the way he looked and he soon learn some of the skills that would serve him so well in the square circle. He started his boxing career in rural Siberia before scouts quickly picked up on his natural ability to fight. Soon he was on a regular ten hour train journey away to another district to hone his skills in one of the best boxing schools in Russia. In the gyms, he found a similar hatred toward his person by a few challengers who would call him deragotory names. However, the young Ruslan possessed a fire inside of him that would scold all those who provoked him as soon as they stepped into the ring.
From the second the first bell rings and the third man steps back, Provodnikov becomes as unforgiving and relentless as the enviroment he was brought up in. He cuts off the ring in masterful fashion forever stalking his opponent. No matter what magnitude of punch his opponent throws at him, Provodnikov will return a salvo even harder. He unloads his troubles onto his opponent in the form of devastating hooks and uppercuts fired from every angle. True enough, commentators and analysts have stated that he is a Light Welterweight with the punching force of a natural Middleweight.
His amatuer career took him to 150 fights, with him winning 130 of them providing him with a solid experience of the sport. As a professional in Russia he quickly caught the astute eye of Artie Pellulo, president of Banner Promotions. After coming to America Pellulo made sure Provodnikov was a regular on ESPN 2's Friday Night Fights and quickly gained the admiration of the audience with his exciting fighting style. Notably he won a decision over Demarcus Corley but lost a decision to Mauricio Herrera which was his first defeat as a professional. In this fight he found Herrera's awkward style to be troubling and wasn't able to pressure him into submission as he was his other opponents. That being said, the fight was very close and Herrera's face was battered and bludgeoned by the final bell. These experiences helped the Russian to grow as a fighter and ultimately led Ruslan Provodnikov onto the next chapter of his boxing story.
The Siberian Rocky had gained notoreity through Friday Night Fights and the big names in boxing were starting to take note. The first to make a move toward the Russian fighter was veteran trainer Freddie Roach. Having started to train at Wild Card under the tutelage of the five time Trainer of the Year, Ruslan proved to be a quick learner and rapidly made improvements in his boxing game. No longer was he the one dimensional fighter who came forward throwing hook after hook. He sharpened his fundamentals, solidified his evident talents and fortified his ever increasing will to succeed. He had already come so far from that small rural village to the land of hope and dreams, training with the pound for pound great Manny Pacquiao and sparring with the Phillipino warrior countless times. This elite level of training that he had now undertaken became evident in his next fights as he scored two tremendous knockout victories, coming in rounds 6 and 2 respectively against David Torres and Jose Reynoso.
Following up these impressive displays of skill and power, Provodnikov had managed to earn his shot at a world title. It had taken him time but he had earned it the hard way by taking any and all willing to dance with him. The fighter that would give him his shot was to be Timothy Bradley. 'Desert Storm' had just come off a controversial win over Manny Pacquiao for the WBO Welterweight Title - and although he had taken the victory - due to the controversy he still had a chip on his shoulder and wanted to go out and prove that he deserved his victory. Ruslan had been at the fight and was determined to right the wrong done to his stable-mate, sparring partner and close friend by beating Bradley. The stage was set for both fighters and many boxing analysts predicted a spectacular show.
No-one could have been disappointed by the display of courage, heart, power and desire to win displayed by both fighters in 12 brutal rounds. Provodnikov came out in typical fashion, reminiscent of Cesar Chavez vs Camacho walking down his man and unloading at every oppurtunity that Bradley presented him. His persistence paid off in the first round when he caught the Desert Storm with a shot that sent him reeling backwards. To the delight of the crowd and Provodnikov it had seemed that the Siberian Rocky had scored a knockdown but Referee Pat Russell deemed it a slip and the fighters were allowed to continue - after Bradley had managed to stumble back up to an upright position. Provodnikov was keen to end the show early and seize upon his chance to become world champion, but the ever determined Bradley was ready to go out on his shield and swing his way out as a fierce firefight between two warriors ensued. Both men began to exchange vicious hooks with more heat than accuracy for several rounds, but neither managed to land the decisive blow needed to end the fight.
The Siberian Rocky came on strong at the finish and wobbled Desert Storm again and with a few more hooks sent him to the canvas. Unfortunately for the Russian, with the clock about to run out, Bradley got up and claimed another controversial victory. Over the course of the bout, both fighters dug deep into their reserves of strength, will and courage to give the fans the Fight of the Year for 2013. Against Tim Bradley, Provodnikov realised what it takes to be an elite championship level boxer. He was determined after this to take his level of fitness to new heights and sharpen his tools ready for his next championship bout.
His next opportunity took him to Denver, Colorado to face the WBO Light Welterweight champion Mike Alvarado. Ruslan had trained extremely hard for this fight and had every fibre and sinew in his body geared toward bringing the belt back to his native homeland. From the opening bell Ruslan exhibited what his fans had witnessed for many years, an all guts and glory fighter with serious punching power. From the moment Alvarado felt that power in the first round, his resolve was starting to break. Ruslan went onto claim the opening rounds, before coming on even stronger in the 6th. From that point on Alvarado was facing a tiger who could see his prey limping, looking for an end. The no mercy mauler forced the taller boxer to the ropes and started pummeling him head and body with sledgehammer shots, each one loaded with badness designed to shatter his opponent. After the 10th, Alvarado threw in the towel in front of his hometown crowd and Ruslan Provodnikov was declared the new WBO Light Welterweight Champion of the World.
2013 was a year for Ruslan to remember and cherish for the rest of his life. He had finally achieved one of his dreams and his part on the big stage had just begun. On June 14th this year he is to face Chris Algieri (19-0) in the Barclays Centre, New York in the first defence of his new title. This will be another defining fight for Ruslan, who true to himself will come to give an insight to Algieri and all those watching into the privations of his past, the hunger that drives him and the unrelenting will that makes him. I have no doubt that the fight will be another unforgettable spectacle courtesy of the two warriors in the ring, this is certainly a fight not to be missed.
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Originally Posted by El Dude
