Timothy Bradley informs the press “I will get (your) respect!”
Saturday evening at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA, Timothy Bradley (l) of Palm Springs, CA will be putting his WBO World Welterweight Title on the line against challenger Ruslan Provodnikov from Beryozovo, Russia. Photo: Chris Farina/Top Rank
Saturday evening, it will be old home week at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. On hand they’ll be Pat Russell to do the refereeing and Raul Caiz Jr. will be joined by Marty Denkin and Pat Connolly in the hot seats to do the judging. As a consequence, all parties in this WBO World Title fight between the Champion Timothy Bradley (29-0-0, 12 KOs) from Palm Springs, CA and the challenger Ruslan Provodnikov (22-1-0, 15 KOs) from Beryozovo, Russia should be getting a fair shake.
With just three days left until the big show, the competitors met face to face with the press to talk about this fight. As has been the case, the 29 year-old Provodnikov who stands 5’6” tall, said very little. Still in need of a good English tutor, like many of the fighters from far off lands, Ruslan has the habit of doing his talking in the ring.
Ruslan Provodnikov: “I don’t want to say too much. During training for this fight a lot has been said already.” Provodnikov has been enjoying his time in the spotlight. Above he is seen working out with trainer Freddie Roach at the famous Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, CA and later that day the huge hockey fan was a special guest at the Los Angeles Kings – Calgary Flames game at the Staples Center. All photos: Chris Farina/Top Rank
Unruffled by all the hoopla, Timothy Bradley made up for the void: “Ruslan Provodnikov is a tough opponent. A lot of you are saying he’s tough but not well known, yada-yada. It’s a tough challenge I’m faced with. I trained like no other. This has been one of my best camps. Actually better than the Pacquiao camp. I feel strong, fast. I feel like I’m ready to take on anybody.
“What happened this past June (he was making reference to his controversial win over Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas on June 9, 2012) has built me into a stronger character, a force to be reckoned with. At this time I might not be given credit for my style and what I’ve accomplished, but let me tell you this. I will get respect and everybody in this room will respect me.” Or what, ‘I’ll meet you in the parking lot after the fight.’
Bradley continued, “This will be a fight to remember. Toe-to-toe, however long it lasts. I’m gonna get the job done. That’s what I do. I win. That’s one thing you can always write about me: This kid is undefeated and he can fight and he can win. So that’s a good thing you can write about.”
The confident Timothy Bradley is shown with his trainer and above with his training staff.
If Bradley were to stand toe to toe with Provodnikov, he stands a chance of losing. Since this consummate boxer has more than enough boxing skills to win the decision by a large margin, why in the world would he go “toe to toe?” As any trainer/coach will tell you, this little tidbit of information sounds more like a bluff – a smoke screen. After all, Mauricio Herrera has already mapped out the perfect plan to defeat the Russian.
Prediction: Bout goes the full 12 rounds with Bradley winning by an unanimous decision.
