"I think it will be a close fight again, but I will be rooting for my friend Manny Pacquaio. He needs to prove to everybody that he won the fight from the first time," stated WBO jr. welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov, who shared his thoughts on the upcoming rematch between undefeated WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley and multi-division world champion Manny Pacquiao. According to Provodnikov, he's been assured that he'll get a fight with either man in the near future, so you can bet that he'll be one of many observers paying close attention to the April 12 showdown.
"I am looking forward to fighting Timothy Bradley in a rematch. My team has assured me that I will be in the mix with one of these fighters in the fall and this gives me a lot of motivation," Provodnikov stated during a recent interview with FightHype's Michelle Rosado. Up first for Provodnikov, however, is a June 14 appearance on HBO. Although his opponent has yet to be determined, his manager, Vadim Kornilov, recently revealed that undefeated Chris Algieri is the current frontrunner to land the assignment.
[ Follow Ben Thompson on Twitter @fighthype ]