RUSLAN PROVODNIKOV
“I do not have any special rituals. I only believe in myself and my abilities.
“I enjoy having my fans from Russia at my fights.
“Algieri seems like a smart man and I expect him to be a smart boxer. We’ll see how practical his boxing theories are in the ring on Saturday.
“If I have to die in the ring to win, that is what I will do. Is Algieri willing to do the same? He had better or he will not defeat me.
“I know suffering. I grew up in it. All we had to eat was what grew from the soil — anything that grew from the soil — and raw fish and moose. I still eat raw moose liver. It makes me strong.
“I do not like fighting boxers who do not engage, like Algieri, but I am used to it. I will chase him and hunt him down. I am a hunter when I am in the ring.
“A lot of my friends and fans from my hometown will be coming to my fight. Barclays Center and Brooklyn already feels like second home to me.”
FREDDIE ROACH
“He may be undefeated, but Chris Algieri has never faced anyone like Ruslan. He may be a good student in school, but Ruslan will be teaching Algieri a crash course on how to lose on Saturday night.
“Ruslan is going to pour everything he has into this fight. His sole mission is to turn out Algieri’s lights.
“This is the first time Ruslan has had a nutritionist in training camp.
“Algieri has a degree in nutrition and claims to be on a healthy diet. We’ll see how well he digests the rights and lefts Ruslan serves up to him on Saturday.”
CHRIS ALGIERI
“It’s surreal for me. It’s a dream come true
“I believe my maturity as an adult has helped me throughout this whole process. It’s been hectic but smooth.
“Pressure has always made me step up to the competition. I prepared, I am in shape. Fight night, I am going to show who I really am. Ruslan has this great power in his punches but if you can’t land them, the power really doesn’t matter.
“I have fought in world title fights as a kickboxer. I have been the underdog and fought in large venues. That has prepared me for this.
“I know I belong with these guys and I know I can beat them and now I am ready to prove it again on June 14.
“I have to go out there and control the center of the ring. Push the pace and go out there and use my boxing IQ.
“I have been preparing for the power by not getting hit.
“The nation has seen me. They see what I can do. People don’t know who I am yet. They will after Saturday. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I would win
“I am not much into prediction but all I can on Saturday, “AND THE NEW….”
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Provodnikov vs. Algieri takes place on Saturday, June 14, at Barclays Center. The fight will be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. The co-main event will feature undefeated WBO junior middleweight champion DEMETRIUS “Boo Boo” ANDRADE, making his first title defense, against No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger BRIAN “The Lion” ROSE. These four gladiators boast a combined record of 87-3-1 (44 KOs) – a 96 percent winning ratio, with more than half of their total victories coming by way of knockout.
Promoted by Banner Promotions and Top Rank®, in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing, remaining tickets to the Provodnikov-Algieri world championship event, priced at $31, $56, $86, $106 and $206, can be purchased online via Ticketmaster by visiting www.barclayscenter.com or www.ticketmaster.com, or by calling 800-745-3000. Tickets are also available at the American Express Box Office at Barclays Center. Group tickets are also available by calling 855-GROUP-BK. For information on individual suites, please call 718-BK-SUITE.
The action-packed undercard will feature undefeated World Boxing Council (WBC) Continental Americas champion, Top-Five contender and Long Beach, Long Island fan favorite “Irish” SEANIE MONAGHAN, and the debut of professional women’s boxing at Barclays Center with HEATHER “The Heat” HARDY of Brooklyn risking her undefeated record.
Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KOs), born and raised in Berezovo, Khanty-Mansi, Russia in Siberia, is trained by Hall of Famer Freddie Roach. He had an incredible year in 2013. On March 16 of last year, he was on the wrong end of a hotly-disputed unanimous decision loss to undefeated WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, Jr. Provodnikov, who moved up in weight for his first title shot, hurt Bradley numerous times during their slugfest, nearly knocking out the defending champion in the first and second rounds and scoring a knockdown in the final round. Two of the three scorecards had Bradley winning by only one point. It was voted the Fight of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America. Provodnikov moved down to his natural weight in his next fight and challenged WBO junior welterweight champion Mike Alvarado, scoring a dramatic 10th round stoppage to claim his world title, last October 19. Five of Provodnikov’s last six victories have been by knockout.
Algieri (19-0 8 KOs), hails from nearby Huntington, NY. Over the last 18 months Chris has elevated himself to a world-class contender after accumulating significant victories over top prospect Jose Alejo, former USBA champion Mike Arnaoutis, and most recently highly-rated contender Emmanuel Taylor in February. He’s as much a scholar as he is a brawler. He graduated from Stony Brook University with Honors in 2007 with a Bachelors of Science in Health Care Management and then went on to receive his Masters degree from the New York Institute of Technology in 2010. He aspires to attend Medical School.
HBO BOXING PRESENTS: “2 Days: Ruslan Provodnikov”
All times are ET/PT.
HBO replay times include: June 12 (1:30 p.m.) and 14 (11:30 a.m.).
HBO2 replay times include: June 13 (4:50 p.m. & 11:30 p.m.).
For fight updates go to www.banner-promotions.com or www.hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/banner-promotions or facebook.com/hboboxing, and on Twitter at twitter.com/bannerboxing or twitter.com/hboboxing.