Ruslan Provodnikov has landed in Los Angeles to begin training camp for his much anticipated showdown with WBO Jr. Welterweight champion Mike Alvarado that will take place on Saturday, October 19th at First Bank Arena in Denver, Colorado.
The bout will be live on HBO's Championship boxing and is promoted by Top Rank and Banner Promotions.
Provodnikov will be training at the Wild Card Gym under the watchful eye of Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.
Provodnikov of Beryozovo, Russia has a record of 22-2 with fifteen knockouts and has become 2013's breakout star. He won his first seventeen bouts with wins over Emanuel Augustus and former world champion Javier Juaragui. Since suffering his first pro defeat, Provodnikov went on terrific run of five straight wins over the likes of undefeated Ivan Popoca, former world champion DeMarcus Corley, David Torres and Jose Reynoso before his memorable March 16, 2013 clash with undefeated WBO Welterweight champion Timothy Bradley.
Provodnikov will be fighting for a world title for a second consecutive fight.
"Since the Bradley fight, everyone in boxing, from the fans to the networks have been waiting the return of Ruslan", said Banner Promotions CEO Arthur Pelullo.
"Then when rumors of a possible fight with Alvarado started to surface, our office has been flooded with calls to find out the details. Now I can safely say that this can't miss fight is on and we know that Ruslan will shine once again on October 19th".
Said Ruslan Provodnikov, "I am very happy that Alvarado finally agreed to the fight".
"I think this will be an unforgettable fight and I promise I will not disappoint my fans".
"We have been waiting for this for a long time", said Provodnikov's manager Vadim Kornilov.
"This is another opportunity for Ruslan. I think the fight will decide who is the real player in the Jr. Welterweight division and the true WBO champion"
Alvarado of Denver has a record of 34-1 with 23 knockouts and will be making the first defense of the title he won on March 30th in his thrilling twelve round unanimous decision victory over Brandon Rios in a rematch of their back and forth slugfest in 2012.
Alvarado has wins over the likes of Carlos Molina, Michael Clark, Ray Narh and Breidis Prescott.