Verona,New York (April 15) – Training camp is going smoothly for former WBC Light Weight Champion Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse and Former WBO Jr. Welterweight Champion “The Siberian Rocky” Ruslan Provodnikov as they continue to prepare for their showdown on Saturday, April 18 at the Turning Stone Resort Casino. The junior welterweight fight will be televised as part of a split site doubleheader live on HBO Boxing After Dark®, beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Matthysse has been training out his gym in Argentina and Provodinkov has been training out of the famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California under the watchful eye of International Boxing Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach.

Both fighters arrived at Turning Stone Resort Casino today and took some time to do a photo-op at the hotel and answer a few questions about their training camp.

Below is what they had to say:

How do you feel about the fight and when did you begin training?

Lucas Matthysse: I have been training non-stop, way before the fight was officially announced. I have been doing a lot of sparring to improve my speed and make sure I make as much contact with my opponent as possible.

Ruslan Provodnikov: I am excited and motivated for this fight, I will not disappoint my fans and it will be a real war! Everything is going great with my training and will be ready for a really war in the ring.

How are you preparing to face each other?

Matthysse: Ruslan is a great fighter, he comes prepared for a war. My strategy against him will be to make sure to box and keep moving, that is why sparring has been really important in my training.

Provodnikov: I will be ready for whatever Matthysse does. I 100% percent believe that this fight will be the fight of the year. I always give everything I can in training camp and I’m very responsible. I don’t take anybody lightly, but to answer your question: walking into the ring with a fighter that I know will fight back will definitely show that what I can do as a boxer than going up against a fighter who will just run.

What should fans expect to see on April 18?

Matthysse: Fans can expect one of the greatest fights in the division. I know I am ready to win this fight and fans should expect a victory.

Provodnikov: I promise this is going to be the fight you guys are all waiting for.

Tickets for the show have been selling fast and expected to sell out. Limited tickets for the April 18th HBO Boxing After Dark event at Turning Stone Resort are still available and are on sale now at the $35, and $25 price range plus applicable fees and are available at the Turning Stone Resort Box Office by calling 315-361-7469 or online at Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com).

Presented by Banner Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Box Promotions the 12-round junior welterweight bout and expected to be the sure-fire ‘Fight of The Year’ contender will take place on Saturday, April 18 at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark ® beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Host of the event, the Oneida Nation’s Turning Stone Resort Casino continues to distinguish itself as a premier destination for blockbuster boxing matches. The April 18th fight will mark Turning Stone Resort’s 15th nationally-televised boxing event in less than two years, cementing the resort as a mecca for knockout televised fights. Boxing legends Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have promoted televised fight cards at the resort within the last year. Located in Upstate New York, the four-season destination resort offers world-class entertainment and gaming, award-winning accommodations, an eclectic mix of restaurants, luxury spas and numerous nightlife options.

Matthysse vs. Provodnikov is a 12-round junior welterweight bout presented by Banner Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Box Promotions and is sponsored by Corona Extra, Mexico, Live it To Believe It! and Khortytsa Vodka. Doors are currently scheduled to open at 6:00 p.m. ET with the first bout scheduled for 6:50 p.m. ET and the HBO Boxing After Dark telecast will being at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Professional media requesting credentials for the April 18th fight must contact Kelly Abdo, Turning Stone Resort Casino Public Relations Manager at 315.366.9291 or kelly.abdo@turningstone.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.banner-promotions.com, www.hbo.com/boxing and www.turningstone.com follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @BannerBoxing, @HBOBoxing, @RuslanProvod, @TurningStone and become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing or www.facebook.com/TurningStoneResort and visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @bannerboxing, @turningstone and @ruslanprovod.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.banner-promotions.com, www.hbo.com/boxing and www.turningstone.com follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @BannerBoxing, @HBOBoxing, @RuslanProvod, @ TurningStone and become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing or www.facebook.com/TurningStoneResort and visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @ bannerboxing, @ turningstone and @ruslanprovod.

HBO Boxing kicks off spring with an action-packed, split-site doubleheader featuring some of the most exciting fighters in the sport when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: LUCAS MATTHYSSE VS. RUSLAN PROVODNIKOV AND TERENCE CRAWFORD VS. THOMAS DULORME is seen SATURDAY, APRIL 18 at 9:45 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY, and College Park Center at University of Texas Arlington, exclusively on HBO. HBO Sports teams will be ringside for both events, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: April 19 (9:45 a.m.) and 20 (12:15 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates: April 19 (3:45 p.m.) and 21 (11:00 p.m.)

In the headline bout, Lucas Matthysse (36-3, 34 KOs) and Ruslan Provodnikov (27-3, 17 KOs) meet in a scheduled 12-round junior welterweight fight from upstate New York in what is already being lauded as a probable fight-of-the-year candidate.

Provodnikov, 31, returns to the ring after scoring a technical knockout victory over Jose Luis Castillo in his home country of Russia last November. His fan-friendly style has made for some of the most memorable bouts of the past two years, including a knockout of Mike Alvarado to win the super lightweight title and a close-decision loss in the 2013 BWAA Fight of the Year with Timothy Bradley. Matthysse, 32, of Buenos Aires, Argentina, is one of the most feared boxers in the world, thanks to his stunning punching power, and had two knockout victories in 2014. The winner will enter the title discussion in the 140-pound division.

Kicking off the night, the co-main event features BWAA Fighter of the Year Terence Crawford (25-0, 17 KOs) making his 2015 debut against Thomas Dulorme (22-1, 14 KOs) in a scheduled 12-round bout for a vacant super lightweight title from University of Texas Arlington.

Rising star Crawford, 27, of Omaha, Neb., is coming off a dominating 2014 campaign which featured three successful defenses of his lightweight title, including a unanimous decision victory over Raymundo Beltran and a technical knockout against former titlist Yuriorkis Gamboa. Crawford moves up in weight to fight in the 140-pound division for the first time against Dulorme, 25, of Carolina, Puerto Rico, who will seek to use his height as an advantage against the shorter Crawford in the first world title fight of his career.

Immediately following HBO Boxing After Dark, stay tuned for the premiere of the one-hour special MAYWEATHER/PACQUIAO: AT LAST, detailing the nearly six-year journey to the most-anticipated fight of the modern era on May 2 between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao.

Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.

All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.

The executive producer of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producers, Jonathan Crystal and Dave Harmon; director, Johnathan Evans.

® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.

LONDON (April 15) – Legendary trainer Freddie Roach believes Saturday night’s clash between knockout kings Ruslan Provodnikov and Lucas Matthysse is ‘the greatest match up in the world’.

The pair will lock horns at Turning Stone Resort and Casino in New York, in one of the most eagerly anticipated fights of the year, live and exclusive on BoxNation.

The showdown is certain to produce fireworks, with Provodnikov’s Hall-of-Fame trainer Roach believing that this is a fight worthy of the attention it has garnered.

“It’s the greatest match up in the world. You’ve got two guys that love to fight, two guys that are great punchers. It’s going to be a very exciting fight – that’s for sure,” said Roach.

“It’s the best fight and the best is what we need. This is what’s going on in boxing right now and that’s why everything is really happening in boxing bigger than ever at this point because of fights like this,” he said.

LA based Roach will not be in his fighter’s corner this weekend, however, as he looks to prepare his star pupil Manny Pacquiao for his impending clash with pound-for-pound ace Floyd Mayweather.

Though this will have little bearing on the outcome according to Roach, who will send his right-hand man Marvin Somodio to run the rule over proceedings.

“The Pacquiao fight is very important right now but Ruslan is very important also. I work with him every day in the gym. He and Marvin have a good rapport together. Marvin knows what to do. He’s a very good trainer,” said Roach.

“They understand what I want and just because I’m not there it doesn’t make a difference. Ruslan will still fight his fight and Marvin will make the adjustments along the way. There will be no problem whatsoever. It’s not the first or last time this has happened in my life,” he said.

31-year-old Provodnikov burst onto the scene with a scintillating performance in his narrow loss to Timothy Bradley before going on to capture the WBO light-welterweight world title from Mike Alvarado.

He is now looking to get himself back into the mix for a world title shot following a split decision loss to New Yorker Chris Algieri last year and is aware of the significance of this fight not only to his career but to boxing fans.

“I expect the same as all the fans – this is a very exciting match up. This is going to be a great fight and I think that for me it’s no less than to all the people watching. For me it’s exciting as well and these types of fights are what’s important,” said Provodnikov.

“Because for me the fight and the money as I’ve said many times, they’re not number one. Number one is I want my fights to be part of history, and I think this is one of those fights that is destined to be part of history.

“That’s what I want to give my people back home – these fights that people will remember because not all the fights that are world title fights are remembered. The type of fight that will happen between Matthysse and I is one that’s definitely going to be remembered forever,” he said.

Both Provodnikov and Matthysse are renowned for their come-forward aggressive style, with the Siberian stopping 17 of his 27 opponents and the Argentine Matthysse having knocked out 34 in his 36 wins.

32-year-old Matthysse, who was involved in last year’s ‘Fight of the Year’ with his victory over John Molina, thinks that his next battle has the potential to win another such accolade.

“For last year’s fight I’ve got to give credit to John Molina because he came to fight and he allowed me to perform in a way that made it ‘Fight of the Year’,” said Matthysse.

“If Ruslan comes forward and is aggressive and does the same thing, then, yes [I think it can be another Fight of the Year]. I’m going to seize that opportunity and try to take advantage of that and make it an exciting fight. I think it could be a great fight. But, you know, it takes two,” he said.

Matthysse vs Provodnikov joins a mega night live on BoxNation this Saturday from 7pm BST, starting with Liverpool’s Derry Matthews who fights for the vacant interim WBA lightweight title against Tony Luis at the Echo Arena.

Unbeaten light-middleweight Liam Smith is also on the card as he takes on David Ezequiel Romero for the vacant WBO Intercontinental title.

Then BoxNation heads Stateside as it brings two massive bills starting with Matthysse-Provodnikov before heading over to Arlington Texas where rising pound-for-pound star Terence Crawford looks to become a two-weight world champion as he takes on slick Puerto Rican Thomas Dulorme for the vacant WBO light-welterweight world title.

Matthysse v Provodnikov is live and exclusive on BoxNation (Sky 437/490HD, Virgin 546 and TalkTalk 525) this Saturday night. Visit boxnation.com to subscribe.

-Ends-
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By Bart Barry–

Saturday brings a cleansing of the palate, doesn’t it, a reminder of a painfully missed time when you watched boxing because you couldn’t imagine a better use of your energy – not because you felt obligated, as a longtime fan, to support your sport’s return to public airwaves because, apparently, leaving public airwaves was what doomed our sport, even while its return to public airwaves appears far more damning now than its absence did even five years ago.

The word is relief. That is what this weekend brings, a chance to return to the dated ideal of a promoter making real fights because he is accountable to scribe critics. There’s redundancy there, yes, redundancy worth visiting for a spell. Criticism does not exist on television, only in print. The ephemeral, emotional, silly nature of television lends itself directly to promotion, to publicity, to fads, to effects that draw the eye, distract the eye, capitalize on the plague of man’s anxiety: television’s energy, like a teenage girl’s, derives its potency from a fear something better is happening in her absence. Television attracts its audience with a promise that its absence assures regret, and then, its audience drawn, television busies itself with imparting the essential nature of the spectacle, this very moment, the most or greatest of its kind, however absurd the statistics it needs cite, until the apogee of its program’s arc passes, and then it returns to promising the next spectacle cannot stand to be missed by anyone who does not want the crunching anxiety of its absence, and so on.

Elders called it the “boob tube” and did not miss. What now happens to our sport on network television is both potent and inevitable, and every print journalist that covers it cannibalizes what remains of our craft – in a bent more concessionary than saboteur.

Saturday, blessedly, brings no more slickly produced mediocrity from the imagination of an otherworldly figure, a manager advisor who, it may well turn out, hates the sport of boxing to his very marrow, like we’ve grown accustomed to treating in what serious tones we once reserved for actual championship contests conducted by actual champions, and that is not a criticism of Danny Garcia who, for all the middlingness that has attended his last 13 months in the game, a series of spectacles gaudy as his trunks, did things the right, hard way, way back when his promoter wanted him to lose every time he laced up gloves to stretch a fat old legend and a virginal amateur prodigy representing some coveted demographic or other.

Saturday’s co-main event from Arlington, Texas, may not be much of a fight, ultimately, but it will feature 2014’s best fighter plying his wares away from his beloved Nebraska. It is a return of sorts for Terence Crawford to the place he first asserted himself on the undercard of an ill-conceived crowning ceremony for Mikey Garcia, if you remember him, a 2013 Dallas spectacle for which Garcia did not bother acknowledging the weight limit, iced Juan Manuel Lopez, and looked decidedly second-rate when set against the warmup act: Crawford doing everything right. Saturday’s telecast will follow Crawford, the world’s best lightweight, with the world’s most entertaining junior welterweights, Argentine Lucas Matthysse and Russian Ruslan Provodnikov, in the sort of fight that will meet even exalted expectations for violence while being shorter than anticipated, very much the way Brandon Rios’ first tilt with Mike Alvarado did.

Good as Matthysse is, there is a real likelihood he’s not sturdy as Provodnikov; Matthysse has shown greater fragility in his best fights than Provodnikov has. The Russian will go directly at Matthysse, who will return fists with what rage and resentment he can still muster, and each man will endeavor to break his opponent’s spirit without a consideration for his own well-being, exactly the sort of contest the word “fight” still connotes to anyone not associated with the business of shiny-packaged prizefighting, nothing sanitized or Premier about it, serving the primal purpose boxing fulfills if it is worth considering, and no, generally it is not worth considering anymore, not with fractionally the frequency its consideration merited even a few years back, whatever television tells you.

The contemporary sportsfan, hoodwinked by men with MBAs and laptops, believes he should play manager, himself, to express best his affection for what athletes please him best: It’s OK my favorite athlete is not very good at his chosen profession, see, because he’s the best today, and television tells me the best today is the best of all time, and never mind that, cretin, because my athlete is much richer than yesterday’s best athlete who, regardless of what readily available video may suggest, could never beat my favorite athlete because he didn’t have swagger. This is a welcomed infantilization of American sportsfans, or perhaps it’s an international trend – heaven knows soccer fans are no beacons of adulthood – to distract potential customers with what’s sparkly, and it’s enjoying an excellent run.

Terence Crawford should be watched and enjoyed Saturday because he is legitimate talent properly cultivated by promoter Top Rank who builds fighters very much better than anyone else, and Provodnikov and Matthysse should be watched because of the honesty they represent and the perspective such honesty lends the poverty of its peers’ performances. From Siberia and Patagonia, respectively, Provodnikov and Matthysse exhibit a sort of strength that must be bred in men over millennia of sober struggle against a vicious and arbitrary world that endeavors at every turn to eliminate them. Neither man expects another man can hurt him – not uncommon among males in their physical primes. That neither Provodnikov nor Matthysse cares for the probability another man can hurt him, though, that neither man – even unto unconsciousness – has an algorithm for processing instant evidence to the contrary, that, is what makes them special.

Their match, too, will be special. I’ll take Provodnikov, KO-9.

Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter @bartbarry

LOS ANGELES (April 7) – The sure-fire ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate between former World Champions Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse and “The Siberian Rocky” Ruslan Provodnikov, just got more exciting as world class prospects got added to the non-televised undercard of the split site doubleheader live on HBO Boxing After Dark ® on Saturday, April 18 at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY.

In the non-televised co-main event of the night, exciting undefeated Brazilian prospect Patrick Teixeira (24-0, 20 KOs) will compete in a 10-round super welterweight bout against the hard-punching contender Patrick Allotey (30-1, 24 KOs) of Accra, Ghana. Next, Tuapse, Russia’s Fedor “Knockout Man” Papazov (16-1-0, 10 KOs) will fight in an eight-round lightweight match. Washington, D.C.’s standout undefeated fighter, Lamont Roach Jr. (6-0, 3 KOs) is scheduled to fight in a six-round lightweight fight. Vitor Jones De Olivera (8-0, 5 KO’s) of Salvador, Brazil will face Guillermo Sanchez (15-14-1, 6 KOs) of Buffalo, New York in a six-round lightweight bout. Also, from New York, Eddie “E-Boy” Gomez (17-1, 10 KOs) of the Bronx, is scheduled for a 10-round super welterweight bout against Jonathan Batista (14-5, 7 KOs) of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Opening up the night, Vitaly Kopylenko (24-1-0, 14 KOs) of Kiev, Ukraine, will take on Lekan “Lucky 13” Byfield (6-7-2, 1 KOs) of Atlanta, Georgia, in an eight-round middleweight fight.

Due to the unprecedented demand to see this surefire “Fight of the Year” candidate ringside seats sold out in only 15 minutes – and the entire event is now near sellout with Turning Stone Resort Casino releasing the last group of tickets in the $35 and $25 price range. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Turning Stone Resort Box Office at 315-361-7469 or online at Ticketmaster.com.

A professional since 2009, the 24-year old Patrick Teixeira, wants to follow in the steps of the Brazilian three time world champion Acelino “Popo” Freitas and write his own story by conquering world titles in his career. Most recently, Teixeira beat Ulises David Lopez for the WBO Latino Super Welterweight title knocking Lopez down on the second round and winning the fight by knockout in the third round. In 2012, the young Brazilian star began to turn heads when he traveled to Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico and defeated Omar Vasquez via eighth round technical knockout. Now, Teixeira is intent on conquering the super welterweight division and becoming a world champion.

Welterweight contender Patrick Allotey, of Accra, Ghana is a tough fighter who has kept his undefeated status since his professional debut in 2007 until his most recent bout against Charles Manyuchi in March 2014 for the WBC International Welterweight Title. Along his professional journey and his impressive record of 30-1, 24, the hard puncher has won and defended the WBC International Silver Welterweight Title and will be looking for redemption when he faces the tough Patrick Teixeira on April 18.

Tuapse, Russia’s Fedor “Knockout Man” Papazov, is looking to make an impression in his first fight of 2015 on April 18. An exciting fighter since his professional debut in 2009, Papazov had a five-year undefeated streak until he faced eventual Boxcino 2014 lightweight champion Petr Petrov in February of 2014. Since then the Russian fighter has had two straight wins, a technical knockout win over Miguel Angel Mendoza and a unanimous victory over Felix Lora.

Undefeated newcomer, Lamont Roach Jr. is quickly becoming an exciting one-to-watch in the boxing community. Hailing from Washington D.C., Roach Jr, scored a knockdown and dominating a four-round decision over Puerto Rico’s Alexander Charneco in his Dec 6. bout. In January 20, the east coast native started off the year with an exciting fourth round technical knockout win over Herbert Quartey. Now, the 19-year-old is looking to continue his winning streak when he fights on April 18.

Exciting newcomer, Vitor Jones De Olivera of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil has remained undefeated since his professional debut in 2012. He is the nephew of former five-time world champion and Brazilian legend, Acelino “Popo” Freitas. De Olivera will be making his second appearance at Turning Stone Resort Casino when he faces Guillermo Sanchez on April 18. De Olivera was last seen at the resort in January when he met Michael Doyle, winning the bout via first round knockout.

At just 26-years-old, Guillermo Sanchez has already accumulated a total of 30 fights in his short career. Turning professional in 2007 the fighter quickly made a name for himself in the sport, winning most of his bouts via knockout and keeping his undefeated status until 2009. 2015 has already turned into a busy year for the lightweight contender, facing Michael Doyle in January winning the bout via unanimous decision and winning his second fight of the year via first round knockout against Pablo Batres in February. The fighter will be looking to continue his winning streak on April 18 when he goes up against the undefeated Vitor Jones De Olivera.

22-year-old Eddie “E-Boy” Gomez is a hungry fighter, eager to not just get the victory, but to do it in spectacular fashion. With a 17-1 record which includes victories over previously unbeaten Daquan Arnett, Terrell Gausham Luis Arias and Daquan Arnett. Most recently, Gomez faced James Winchester at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center and won the bout via unanimous decision. Now the fighter is looking to continue his winning streak when he faces Jonathan Batista on April 18.

Dominican Republic native, Jonathan Batista has had an impressive career since he turned professional in 2010. Winning every bout from 2010 to 2013 the fighter is will be looking to add a victory when he faces Eddie Gomez at Turning Stone Resort Casino.

Vitaliy Kopylenko is an exciting fighter out of Kiev, Ukraine who has been making a name for himself in the middleweight division. He was undefeated from 2008 to 2014 and has held the World Boxing Federation Intercontinental Middleweight Titile and the EBU-EE Middleweight Title. On April 18, Kopylenko returns to the resort for the second time since his loss to eventual Boxcino 2014 middleweight champion Willie Monroe Jr. and will be looking to impress fans and critics as he takes on Lekan Byfield. Kopylenko is coming off a 2nd round stoppage over Sherzod Rahimov on August 24.

Fighting out of Atlanta, Georgia, Lekan “Lucky 13” Byfield is a tough fighter known for going the distance in his bouts. On April 18 the relative newcomer will be returning to Turning Stone Resort Casino for the second time in his career. Byfield, most recently fought Brandon Adams at the resort in January and will be looking for redemption when he faces Vitaliy Kopylenko.

Matthysse vs. Provodnikov is a 12-round junior welterweight bout presented by Banner Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Box Promotions and is sponsored by Corona Extra, Mexico, Live it To Believe It! and Khortytsa Vodka. Doors are currently scheduled to open at 6:00 p.m. ET with the first bout scheduled for 6:50 p.m. ET and the HBO Boxing After Dark telecast will being at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Professional media requesting credentials for the April 18th fight must contact Kelly Abdo, Turning Stone Resort Casino Public Relations Manager at 315.366.9291 or kelly.abdo@turningstone.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.banner-promotions.com, www.hbo.com/boxing and www.turningstone.com follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @BannerBoxing, @HBOBoxing, @RuslanProvod, @ TurningStone and become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing or www.facebook.com/TurningStoneResort and visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @ bannerboxing, @ turningstone and @ruslanprovod.

By Norm Frauenheim

It’s a fight that really doesn’t need much in the way of explanation or analysis. Strip away all of the subtlety and finesse, and you’re left with Ruslan Provodnikov-Lucas Matthysse, a collision waiting to happen. Maybe an accident, too.

But that’s the attraction. Power, the ability to deliver it and a willingness to risk it, exerts it own kind of drama.

It’s why we watch. An irresistible mix of fear, brinkmanship, inexhaustible persistence and even some foolish courage are among the intoxicating possibilities that will be there when the junior-welterweights clash on April 18 at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, N.Y., in an HBO-televised bout.

“I believe it’s going to be Corrales-Castillo I,’’ said Provodnikov promoter Artie Pelullo, who during a conference call Monday foresaw potential for a fight the equal of Diego Corrales’ wild 10th-round TKO of Jose Luis Castillo in 2005.

From this corner, Castillo-Corrales I still ranks as the best fight in this century and one of the best in any. But a price was paid.

Castillo was never quite the same, although his career continued with a loss to Ricky Hatton 2007 and even a TKO loss Provodnikov last November.

Corrales fought three more times, losing all three, including a fourth-round KO in a rematch with Castillo. Corrales died on a motorcycle on May 7, 2007, exactly two years to the day after that first Castillo fight nearly a decade ago.

I’m not convinced that either Provodnikov or Matthysse has the varied skill set that made Corrales and Castillo such dangerous lightweights.

They might surprise me. They might change my mind. If they do, however, Provodnikov-Matthysse won’t fulfill explosive expectations. The buzz isn’t there because they’re known for a defensive feint or the shoulder roll. It’s all about the power. Who has more of it? Who can land it? Who can withstand it?

Castillo was 0-2 against Floyd Mayweather, Jr., but Castillo challenged the pound-for-pound king as much as anybody, especially in the first fight, a 2002 decision.

Castillo and Corrales could do many things. In the end, however, they did what Provodnikov and Matthysse are expected to. They tested each other’s will with unadulterated power that made their confrontation more about surviving than winning.

There will be some new opportunities for the Provodnikov-Matthysse winner. Don’t be surprised if there’s talk about a fight with the Manny Pacquiao-Mayweather winner on May 2. Amend that: Be very surprised if there isn’t talk about that possibility.

But this one isn’t about talk. It isn’t even about victory. Not really. It’s about survival. It’s why we’ll watch.

CLICK TO LISTEN TO CONFERENCE CALL

Operator: Welcome to the Matthysse Provodnikov conference call. I will now turn it over to Marc Abrams.

Mr. Marc Abrams: Hello, everyone, welcome to this great conference call for this tremendous fight that’s going to happen on Saturday, April 18th at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York. The fight will come on air at 9:45 as part of a split site double header with Terence Crawford taking on Thomas Dulorme. On the call for the first part of the call will be Team Provodnikov, Banner Promotions present Artie Pelullo, the Siberian Rocky himself Ruslan Provodnikov, along with his manager Vadim Kornilov who will train–ultimately will translate, Hall of Fame promoter Freddie Roach, and also Kelly Abdo and Heidi Strong from Turning Stone are also on the call. Let me turn it over to Artie Pelullo–Artie?

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Hi, hello, everybody, this is Artie Pelullo from Banner Promotions. Good afternoon–everybody on this call knows that this is one of the great fights of the year for us, for our sport, and I just wanted to–the first thing I want to say is thank Eric Gomez from Golden Boy, and Oscar for helping us put this fight together. It was very easy to do. Eric, Lucas, and–I’m sorry, Lucas Matthysse and Ruslan Provodnikov, excuse me, both wanted this fight. So, it was very easy to put together. Eric and I literally did the deal in maybe 30 or 40 minutes and this is how one of the great fights of 2015 got made, very easily, but two guys who wanted to fight and two promotional companies who work together in the co-promotion. And we’re doing this event equally together and it’s going to be an exciting night for boxing. I believe it’s going to be Corrales Castillo one, which I had a good fortune of promoting with Bob Arum and Gary Shaw. That’s what I think of the fight. Both guys don’t know how to do anything but put on TV friendly and fan friendly fights. Before I get into anything else with the show, I’d just like to turn it over to Kelly from Turning Stone who is the PR Manager who would like to say a few words on behalf of or host, Turning Stone Resort & Casino who went out of their way to make sure that they landed this fight because they’re really into the boxing business. They’re really fight site friendly. And they’re really into going out of their way to put on a spectacular live event at their location. So, Kelly, why don’t you take it from here and say what you’d like to say about Turning Stone.

Ms. Kelly Abdo: All right, thank you, Artie–hello, everyone, it’s Kelly Abdo from Turning Stone Resort Casino. And as Artie mentioned, we’re really excited to be hosting this epic fight and to have everyone here. We’re all really looking forward to it and we have a week’s worth of events lined up that we’re really excited to host.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Thanks, Kelly–one thing I need to mention, guys, to everybody on the call and ladies and ladies and gentlemen, the reason why the fight is at Turning Stone is because Ed Allmann and Heidi Strong. They wanted the fight. They were aggressive about the fight. They realized what this kind of fight could mean because it could be a historic event because of two great punchers and two great exciting styles. I know Oscar is going to talk about Lucas, but I just like to say that he is a great fighter and I know his manager slash promoter for 20 years, Mario Arana and he’s an exceptional young man. So, it’s going to be a terrific fight on their side. As far as Ruslan’s concerned, in my opinion there’s none better. We’ve been together since his very beginning, since his first fight. It’s been my privilege to work with him. He’s a true athlete. He’s very focused on his job. He’s extremely focused on being a promotional. The VADA, the Anti-Doping Test is always something that he demands and insists on. He doesn’t believe athletes should be anything but legitimate and 100 percent legal. And his manager is Vadim who I have been working with for several years. We have a lot of fighters together. And he’s just good people, focused on the job–never an issue about who. It’s always when are we fighting? Let’s make the best fights possible. And also now Freddie Roach is on the call with us, as you know. Everybody knows Freddie. And his career changed Ruslan when he went to Freddie. The truth of it is, when he went to Freddie, got in that gym, was around world-class guys, the quality of the people he was working with changed and the development of his career was tenfold. So, after saying all of that I want to thank everybody. I’d like to introduce Freddie right now. And, as you know, Freddie is training also training the great Manny Pacquiao, but I’d like to have Freddie say a few words on behalf of Ruslan and the show–Freddie?

Mr. Freddie Roach: Hey, thank you, Artie. Ruslan is doing really well and he’s in a really good shape for this fight. He knows just how to fight and he’s a good fighter and I look forward to it, and on paper it looks like one of the best this year. So, it’s going to be a tremendous show and I don’t think you want to miss this on.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Okay, thanks, Freddie, and now I’d like to introduce to you all Ruslan Provodnikov, the Siberian Rocky, who, as I’ve said I’ve had the good fortune of meeting him and Vadim seven years ago when I went to Moscow for the first time and signed Ruslan to an exclusive contract. And, boy, did I not know how lucky I was at the time–Ruslan Provodnikov, gentlemen and ladies–Ruslan Provodnikov.

Mr. Ruslan Provodnikov: How are you? Hi.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Well, that’s good. He can say more than one word.

Mr. Ruslan Provodnikov: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: I just woke up getting ready to go to training. I’m happy to hear everybody.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Well, Vadim, would you like to say a few words?

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: Definitely–Artie, thank you for the great introduction and, you know, we’re here. Ruslan–he’s eating as we’re doing this. I’m sorry–he’ll be more talkative in about two, three minutes, but I’m glad that this all worked out. It’s a great fight that everybody is looking forward to. And, you know, Banner Promotions, Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya, Artie Pelullo, you guys did a great job and I appreciate, and you working together to put this fight together. It’s very easy to make, and I think this is the way it should be. This is way the business should be, is the best fighting, the best, and the promoters working together–thank you.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Thank you, Vadim, and I guess now it’s back to you for questions and answer, guys, for Marc? How does it go from here?

Mr. Marc Abrams: Maggie?

Operator: The lines are now open for questions. If you would like to ask a question, you may do so by pressing star and then one on your telephone keypad. That’s star and the number one. Our first question comes from the line of Dan Rafael with ESPN. Your line is live.

Mr. Dan Rafael: Thank you very much–hello?

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Go ahead, Dan. We can hear you.

Mr. Dan Rafael: Okay, thank you, Artie–thank you, guys–my first question, Vadim, could you ask, respond, what does he believe the impact will be if any in the fact that Freddie–because of the Pacquiao training camp–is not going to actually be in the corner, even though he’s training him in the gym?

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Ruslan Provodnikov: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: Everything is all right. This is not the first time that Freddie was not in the corner. For me what’s important is that Freddie is with me throughout the camp and we’re working together as a team to come up with the right strategy and, you know, get ready for this fight. It’s not a big deal. You know, Marvin Somodio is Freddie’s right hand guy is going to be there for me and I know that Marvin knows what I need to do in the wrong. And that’s all that’s important, but for me this is not a problem.

Mr. Dan Rafael: Okay, Freddie, are you there?

Mr. Freddie Roach: Yes.

Mr. Dan Rafael: Freddie, I know you always like to be with your fighters on fight night. Obviously that’s a big part of training a guy. Can you speak to the reason you won’t be there? Is it the matter of just because of the serious nature of the Pacquiao training camp? I understand you’ve also had some problems with your back. What’s your take on the reasons that you can’t make it to Turning Stone for the fight.

Mr. Freddie Roach: Yeah, because the Pacquiao fight is very important right now and Ruslan is very important also. I work with him every day in the gym. He and Marvin have a good rapport together. Marvin knows what to do. He’s a very good trainer. Even after a fight when we went to Denver by himself without me and they came through. They understand what I want and just because I’m not there doesn’t–Ruslan will still fight his fight and Marvin will make the adjustments along the way. There will be no problem whatsoever. It’s not the first or last time this has happened in my life.

Mr. Dan Rafael: Freddie, when you think about the fight on paper between these guys, I think pretty much every boxing fan looks at this and just says, “Wow, there is no chance. This can’t be, you know, potentially the fight of the year, or a very memorable action packed fight. Can you just give me your take on the match up?

Mr. Freddie Roach: Yes, it’s the greatest match up in the world. It’s–you’ve got two guys that love to fight, two guys that are great punches. It’s going to be a very exciting fight. That’s for sure, and it’s the best fight and the best is what we need. This is what’s going on in boxing right now and that’s why everything is really happening in boxing bigger than ever at this point because of fights like this.

Mr. Dan Rafael: Vadim, could you ask Ruslan to also give your response to his take on the match up? There are so many boxing fans who are super excited about this just because of the action style that Ruslan as well as Lucas to the ring.

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Ruslan Provodnikov: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: I expect the same as all the fans. You know, this is a very exciting match up. This is going to be a great fight and I think that for me it’s no less than to all the people watching. You know, for me it’s exciting as well and these types of fights are what’s important because for me the fight and the money as I’ve said many times, they’re not number one. Number one is I want my fights to be part of history, and I think this is one of those fights that is destined to be part of history. And that’s what I want to give my fans. That’s what I want to give my people back home is these fights that people will remember because not all the fights that a World Title fights are remembered. But the fights that–the type of fight that can happen between Matthysse and I are–is a fight that’s definitely going to be remembered forever.

Mr. Dan Rafael: All right, thank you very much, guys–appreciate your time.

Mr. Marc Abrams: Thank you.

Operator: All right, next question comes from the line of Michael Woods with the Sweet Science. Your line is live.

Mr. Michael Woods: Hey, guys, thanks for making the time–my question is for Ruslan. Ruslan, I presume that you believe going into the fight you are betting than Matthysse. How are you better than Mattyssee?

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Ruslan Provodnikov: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: Well, first of all I never said that I’m better than him or that I’m better than anyone else because it’s not for me to judge. All I can say is that I know that I can beat anybody and it’s all about my will. And I know that if I give everything that I have in the ring, and I give everything that I have in training, I can beat anybody. It’s all about my character and all I’m willing to give. I can’t judge who is better or who is not better, you know? And I know his team are saying a lot of things and they’re saying, “You know, we’re going to knock them out. We’re smarter, we’re better, we’re better boxers.” I don’t want to say any of that. I’m a lot more political than that. You know, talk is cheap. You know, there’s a Russian saying that says, “Don’t say I won until you win,” you know basically. And I’m not going to talk. You know, I’m going to my talking in the ring and I think that I can be better than anybody if I deserve it and I give it all in training.

Mr. Dan Rafael: Good stuff–I like that. Question is for Freddie–Freddie, I’m not asking for your game plan, but I am asking how you believe Ruslan is better than Matthysse on paper going into the fight.

Mr. Freddie Roach: I think, yeah, he is, I think he’s a good puncher, but Matthysse is very strong also. I mean this is–both guys are very dangerous. I told Ruslan if you hurt this guy, don’t just talk in because he has tremendous power. Don’t let him get lucky. So, you know, we have a pretty good game plan down. We know what do I think and how to do it I think. And so, probably we had a great training camp.

Mr. Dan Rafael: All right, good stuff–thanks, guys, I appreciate it.

Operator: Our next question comes from the line of Distino Lois Jr. from Black Star News New York City. Your line is live.

Mr. Distino Lois Jr.: Thank you very much–thank you for the invitation, I appreciate it. The question to Ruslan is, Ruslan, unfortunately–this is Distino Lois Jr., Black Star News, Manhattan–you suffered a setback with your loss to Chris Algieri. Do you consider this fight with Lucas Matthysse a redemption, a door opener if victorious so that you can take advantage of the vacancies of the 140 pounders because now, of course, we are aware of the fact that Danny Garcia and Lamont Peterson, two of your future opponents, have moved up to 143 catch-weight fight for the 11th. So, now the victory over Matthysse would be a door opener for you. Is that how you feel?

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Ruslan Provodnikov: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: I definitely know that there’s a lot of different things going on at 140 right now, but for me right now I’m thinking about April 18th, you know? You know, I’m thinking about this fight and I know that once I win this fight it will open a lot of doors for me. But, you know, once the fight is over we can sit down and I’ll be happy to answer all your questions about what’s next.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: I see–let me just also clarify the question that was asked. So you know, neither one of those two guys are giving up their title. They’re fighting at 143 pounds. So, neither one of them would have to be at risk of losing their title, which I find very interesting that neither one of them would fight for their title so they could give up their title to the winner. So, nobody is giving up their titles in that fight. What they’re doing is they made an agreement not to put their titles on the line, which is a big difference in what your question was originally about, sir.

Mr. Distino Lois Jr.: Well, absolutely, but I question Danny Garcia and you said he was having trouble making the weight. That’s why he agreed–.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: –Then he should give up the title–.

Mr. Distino Lois Jr.: –To, to–.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: –Then he should give up the title, but anyway–.

Mr. Distino Lois Jr.: –Right–.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: –That’s not–he should give up the title, but that’s not what’s going on–.

Mr. Distino Lois Jr.: –Right–.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: –What’s going on is they’re not fighting on weight, so neither one of them are at risk to lose their title–.

Mr. Distino Lois Jr.: –Right, I’m aware of that. Thank you very much. Ruslan, without giving out any trade secrets with your Hall of Fame Freddie Roach trainer, how are you all prepared for Matthysse, being that Matthysse has already shown some flaws of being knocked down twice by Molina and once by Danny Garcia? So, what are you doing to make sure that yours is the final punch?

Mr. Marc Abrams: I guess next question?

Operator: All right, our next question comes from the line of Briggs Seekins from Bleacher Report. Your line is live.

Mr. Briggs Seekins: Yeah, hi, Ruslan–I’m wondering is there a sense where mentally it’s a little bit easier to relax in training camp when you know you’re playing a guy who is going to give you the kind of fight you want and not be, you know, an evasive sort of fighter like Algieri, but a guy who is going to, you know, like you say, give you a fight that makes history and also give you the kind of fight that you like to fight?

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Ruslan Provodnikov: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: For me training camp is training camp. I always give everything I can in training camp and I’m very responsible in training camp. I don’t take anybody lightly, but to answer your question, you know, walking into a ring with a fighter that I know will fight me definitely I can do a lot better than a fighter who will just run.

Mr. Briggs Seekins: Great, thank you–and Artie I did–I want to thank you for calling out the situation at 140 with the titles. It’s a little discouraging to see them not treated the way that a lot of us grew up seeing titles treated.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Yup, you’re right, and, you know, what’s going on is purely that they don’t want to have anything at risk. It’s a dangerous fight for both guys, but not for like Provodnikov and Matthysse. They’re putting it all on the line because they’re still fighting at 12 rounds. It’s 140 pounds. There is no title because we don’t have one, and I’m telling you both these kids would put their titles out if they had, but they wouldn’t be avoiding fighting for the title because then they don’t want to take a chance at losing it. That’s what’s going on. That’s exactly what’s happening.

Mr. Briggs Seekins: Yeah, absolutely–all right, good luck, Ruslan.

Mr. Marc Abrams: I guess we’ll take one more for Ruslan.

Operator: Our last question comes from the line of Chris Gunzz with 15rounds.com. Your line is live.

Mr. Chris Gunzz: Ruslan, he is a huge puncher as a few different guys brought up already. Do you think he’s going to be the biggest puncher you’ve faced and do you ever wonder if you’ll be able to handle that power? Have you ever had the experience of getting hit by a guy who carries a massive punch like that, and do you feel–any questions on whether you’ll be able to take it on the night?

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: The question is about Matthysse being the biggest puncher that Ruslan has faced, correct?

Mr. Chris Gunzz: Yes, and if he has any questions of whether he’ll be able to take it.

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Ruslan Provodnikov: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: Looking at his record, he seems to be one of the biggest punchers of this decade, you know? He’s probably one of the biggest punchers right now. Does it bother me–not at all. It only makes me more excited because I know that this is going to be a real fight and I know that either, you know, I take him or he takes me. And it’s going to be toe to toe it’s going to be a real fight. For me that’s only a positive.

Mr. Chris Gunzz: And I appreciate that even more that you realize you’re facing someone dangerous, and you want to face him anyway and you don’t mind it. I love the balls you’re showing in that, and final question for Freddie. Is it a plan to jump on him early, Freddie, because he did show that vulnerability in the Molina fight? Is Freddie still there? I heard someone hang up in the phone call, but is Freddie still there?

Mr. Freddie Roach: I’m here. Yeah, I’m still here.

Mr. Chris Gunzz: Is it a focus in training camp to try to jump on him early seeing that the vulnerability was shown in the Molina fight early on?

Mr. Freddie Roach: Well, you know, we can. I mean we know how this guy fights. I mean I think he is the bigger punch, and we’re a little bit better than he is, but I mean, you know, he’s got his strong points also. So, it makes for an exciting fight. Ruslan is a very good fighter. Ruslan, I saw him learn how to fight Manny Pacquiao on his own. He used to be Manny’s sparing partner. And that’s when I first really got interested in him because he’s so capable. He learns very quickly and he’s a great shooter.

Mr. Chris Gunzz: One of the best ever–I appreciate it, Freddie. Good luck on April 18th and good luck on May too.

Mr. Freddie Roach: Thank you very much.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Okay, was that it, guys?

Mr. Marc Abrams: It’s–I’m going to turn it over to Golden Boy and Team Matthysse in a minute. I guess final comments from I guess first Artie and then Ruslan.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Well, I just want to say thank you for everybody for joining the call. There’s really not much to say. As Dan Rafael and all the other reporters and Mr. Woods who got on the phone, everybody knows that this is the most TV friendly and fan friendly fight. The networks were all over–both of them bid on the fight. So, it’s going to be a great night for boxing, a great night for our fans. And I just want to thank everybody, Ruslan, Freddie, and Vadim for helping promote the fight, which–it’s like–it doesn’t take a lot of promoting to promote this event because everybody knows it’s going to be a terrific event. I want to thank everybody for coming on board–thank you. Now I’d like to introduce my co-promoter and my partner in the show, and everybody knows who this is, one of the great fighters of our time who has turned out to be quite the promoter himself, good people. He has a nice staff. Like I said earlier, a lot of people say a lot of different things. It literally has been no misses to work with Oscar and his staff. It was very smooth and it’s been a joy and a pleasure, and like Eric Gomez and I say there will be future events that we’ll be working. Now I’d like to turn it over to Oscar De La Hoya. He’s the founder and president of Golden Boy and one of the great personalities in our sport. It’s my pleasure to work with him, Oscar?

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: Artie, sorry to interrupt. Ruslan is leaving. So, we’re good to go. He wanted to say a couple of things–.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: –Oh, I’m sorry–I went too fast, excuse me. I’m sorry, Ruslan. Say something. I apologize.

Mr. Ruslan Provodnikov: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: I just want to say that I want to thank Artie Pelullo personally, Banner Promotions. I want to thank my whole team for making this happen. This is going to be a great fight. I want to thank HBO for making this happen. I’ve been loyal to them and they’ve been loyal to me and that’s very important to me and we’ve done great things together and there’s great things to come. So, I appreciate this and I want to say one thing to the fans. I promise this is going to be the fight you guys are all waiting for. And now from me, Artie, good luck with–.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: –Sure–.

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: –I want to give the word to Oscar De La Hoya and the rest of his team, and I bet for the next 30 minutes you guys are going to hear a lot of–Matthysse is going to knock Provodnikov out and all of that, but I just want to say that Provodnikov has never been on his knees. So, you know, they’re talking about knockouts a lot, but they should be expecting a knock out on their team. Good luck to you guys and I appreciate the promotions. Ruslan says all the best of health to Matthysse and his team–thank you.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Thanks, Vadim–.

Mr. Vadim Kornilov: –Thanks again–.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: –Well, since I–I apologize, guys, I went a little bit too fast. So, Oscar, you’re up. I don’t have to say it again. Everybody knows what we think of you–Oscar De La Hoya–.

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: Thank you very much–we really appreciate it and Artie already mentioned this fight needs no promotion. We are just thrilled that the best network is going to be televising this event. These are the types of events that obviously belong on HBO Championship Boxing and we are just thrilled and excited to be part of it. I also want to take the opportunity to thank Corona Extra, also Mexico Live it to Believe it, and Corsair Vodka, which are the sponsors of the events. They have been doing a tremendous, tremendous job with all of the Marketing and the grassroots Marketing. So, come April 18th the whole world will know the best 140 pounders will be fighting on that night. It is my pleasure to introduce to you a fighter who hails from Argentina. We all know Argentinean fighters are strong fighters who are smart fighters who come to give the fight fans a spectacular show and when you’re going to see Lucas and Provodnikov in that same ring April 18th, we–you’re guaranteed fireworks. So, it is my pleasure to introduce to you a fighter with a record of 36 and 3 and 32 knockouts. They call him La Máquina, and that is Lucas Matthysse. [Foreign Language Spoken]–Lucas. [Foreign Language Spoken], Lucas.

Mr. Lucas Matthysse: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Eric Gomez: I’ll translate for Lucas. He said, hi, good afternoon, everybody–I’m calling from my training camp in Junin and I’ve very excited for this fight and to be fighting once again in the United States.

Mr. Marc Abrams: Thank you, gracias, and we’ll now open it up for questions from the media–gracias.

Operator: As a reminder, if you would like to ask a question, you may do so by pressing star and then one on your telephone keypad. That’s star and the number one, and our first question comes from the line of Dan Rafael with ESPN. Your line is live.

Mr. Dan Rafael: Thank you very much–my question for Lucas–I asked Ruslan this in his portion of the call–you have a fight here where I think pretty much every boxing fan, media is anxiously waiting what they think would be the fight of the year. I would like to hear from Lucas about his thoughts about the really high expectations for this fight to be, you know, extremely, extremely exciting and entertaining.

Mr. Eric Gomez: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Lucas Matthysse: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Eric Gomez: Yes, I’m, you know, I’m just excited. I’m excited to be fighting a caliber of fighter like Ruslan. It’s two, you know, fighters at the top of their game fighting each other. I had many good, you know, replies on it, especially in Argentina. A lot of people are looking forward to the fight and I’m just excited to be fighting again at this level and fighting a guy like Ruslan.

Mr. Dan Rafael: Eric, could you ask Lucas, you know, in April last year he knocked out John Molina. It got voted as the Fight of the Year by the Boxing Writers. Does he think that it has the chance of–to be another fight of the year? Is that something he ever thinks about? I know he’s probably happy that they got the Fight of the Year for last year. He could make it two in a row potentially.

Mr. Eric Gomez: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Lucas Matthysse: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Eric Gomez: Well, I mean for last year’s fight I’ve got to give credit to John Molina because he came to fight and he allowed me to perform in a way that made it Fight of the Year. If Ruslan comes forward and is aggressive and does the same thing, then, yes, I’m going to seize that opportunity and try to take advantage of that and make it an exciting fight. I think personally it could be a great fight. But, you know, it takes two.

Mr. Dan Rafael: Exactly, thank you for that, Eric–one question for you, Oscar.

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: I’m here.

Mr. Dan Rafael: Hey, Oscar, good to talk to you. I know for the last number of months you have preached very regularly about your desire to try to make the best fights you possibly can do as the leader of Golden Boy Promotions. I’d like to know from your point of view, is this sort of basically the kind of fight you had talked about when you said those words that this is the expectations that you have to make this caliber of a fight on a regular basis?

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: Well, these are exactly the fights that the fans want to see, whether there’s a title on the line or no title, or where it takes place. You know, these are the fights that the fans deserve and I’ve been an advocate of staging the best fights possible for the fans and come April 18th I don’t know for sure, but I have a good hunch that this fight might be the Fight of the Year.

Mr. Dan Rafael: All right, thank you for that, Oscar–appreciate it. Thank you very much, guys, look forward to this one.

Operator: All right, our next question comes from the line of Daniel [unintelligible] [00:35:22] Deportiva [sp]. Your line is live.

Mr. Daniel: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Daniel: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Eric Gomez: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: Yeah, he asked me about this fight, why wasn’t it staged in Los Angeles or in Las Vegas? Why New York, and, you know, simple–the venues were not available and I–he asked me if, you know, this fight being such an exciting and anticipated fight, I mean how do I feel? This is what Golden Boy is all about and I’m just really happy to be working with Artie Pelullo and Eric was very instrumental in making this fight happen, and we feel very, very optimistic that I mean this fight is going be action packed from the first battle and I–and it might even be better than the Mayweather Pacquiao fight.

Mr. Daniel: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Eric Gomez: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Lucas Matthysse: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Eric Gomez: Okay, so the question was, do you know–are you aware that, you know, Freddie Roach will not be working in the corner of Ruslan on the night of the fight. And Lucas said, “No, not really–I didn’t know.”

Mr. Daniel: Gracias.

Operator: All right, next question comes from the line of Michael Woods with the Sweet Science. Your line is live.

Mr. Michael Woods: Hi, guys, thanks for taking the time. My question is for Ruslan. Ruslan, on the first portion of the call someone referenced you saying something along the lines of you believe you are going to knock Provodnikov out. But I didn’t see that. I’m not sure what outlet that was said to. Can you reiterate that? Can you talk about that and clarify it for me what was said there?

Mr. Eric Gomez: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Lucas Matthysse: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Eric Gomez: No, he said they weren’t exactly those words, but he said how long. It’s a tough fight and he’s going to–he’s ready to fight. He’s ready for a tough fight, and if the opportunity presents itself so that the fight could end early, obviously I’m going to take advantage of it. But I’m ready to fight a tough fight and it’s going to be a tough fight.

Mr. Michael Woods: Thanks–this question is for Oscar. Oscar, you’ve repeatedly said you want the best fighting the best. That’s going to be the stamp that Golden Boy wishes to put on its fight. I am wondering, is there a certain class of athlete and human being who wants to accept the challenge of the best fighting the best, and are you going to maybe target those types of fighters and only sign those types of fighters to Golden Boy moving forward?

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: Well, that’s up to the fighter. I mean I can’t fight for the fighter. You know, they go up to the ring and they perform, but, you know, we at Golden Boy want to make the best match ups possible, you know, obviously keeping in mind that, you know, that the fans always come first and, you know, this fight here with Lucas and Provodnikov, I mean this is–everybody is writing about how this is going to be the Fight of the Year and we feel proud to be working with Artie Pelullo and making this happen.

Mr. Michael Woods: Yeah, and the fan buzz for this on Twitter is amazing I would say. Could you give us a hint maybe, a little bit of a tease about maybe some other types of fist fights that maybe you’re trying to make, or want to make for the rest of this year?

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: Well, this is–that’s calls for another conference call. So, we’re going to focus here on Lucas. So, we’ll have a call about that shortly, my man.

Mr. Michael Woods: All right, thanks–appreciate it, guys–be well.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Take care, Michael.

Operator: All right, next question comes from the line of Disino Lois Jr. with Black Star News New York City. Your line is live.

Mr. Disino Lois Jr.: Thank you very much–gracias–[Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Hey, Eric, can you translate that in English too? I speak a little Italian, but no Spanish.

Mr. Disino Lois Jr.: Oh, you want me to say it in English too?

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Yeah, I want to hear what’s–I told you, I speak a little Italian, but no Spanish–sorry, guys.

Mr. Disino Lois Jr.: Well, I can do both if you want me to. I don’t know.

Mr. Eric Gomez: So, the question was, Lucas, do you see this as an opportunity of more doors opening at 140 so that you can be the top fighter at 140? Obviously there’s still Danny Garcia and Lamonte, but everybody knows they’re fighting at a catch-weight. Is this kind of like the changing of the guard and it’s going to open up the doors so you can be the top fighter at 140? Lucas, [Foreign Language Spoken], Lucas?

Mr. Lucas Matthysse: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Eric Gomez: Yes, obviously, I mean obviously with this fight here, we’re the ones that are fighting at the weight class–.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: –Right–.

Mr. Eric Gomez: –Whatever reason Danny and Lamonte, they’re not–they’re fighting outside of the weight class. Yes, this is the fight that’s going to open up opportunities for the winner. It’s the fight that’s going to open up bigger and better things, and that’s what I’m looking forward to. That’s what motivates me.

Mr. Disino Lois Jr.: Lucas, [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Eric Gomez: Are you preparing for this question–are you preparing for this fight which obviously promises to be a fight in a phone booth? Are you preparing so you’re not hit and not dropped like you have, like you did get dropped with Danny and your last fight with Molina, Lucas?

Mr. Lucas Matthysse: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Eric Gomez: Well, it’s all in the preparation. It’s all in the preparation and I’ve had–.

Mr. Disino Lois Jr.: –Right–.

Mr. Eric Gomez: –And I’ve had a very, very good preparation and obviously we’ve worked on things so that that won’t happen during the fight, but it’s all in the preparation and I’ve had one of the best preparations for this fight.

Mr. Disino Lois Jr.: Thank you–gracias, Lucas–my last question will be to Oscar De La Hoya. Oscar–I’ll do it in English. Is this your dream come true, Oscar, that all of the fights that you wanted to put together are little by little coming true, and at the same time you are spreading the wealth because you are going up to Verona, New York. A lot of people have told me, where the heck is Verona, New York, but it is a fight town. So, are you doing this to spread the wealth of boxing and to make it more palatable for those who cannot come into the Las Vegas and the California’s and whatever?

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: Well, it, I’m happy to be part of a year where boxing will be shown and on the main stage. You know, we feel that boxing in 2015 is going to transcend–.

Mr. Disino Lois Jr.: –Right–.

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: –And boxing is just–it’s just getting started. I mean with the Mayweather Pacquiao fight happening–.

Mr. Disino Lois Jr.: –Right–.

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: –With Canelo fighting and this fight here, I mean this is what the fans want to see and we’re just excited to be part of it. And, you know, to take it down to Verona, you know, the ticket sales are just a great indication of–.

Mr. Disino Lois Jr.: –Right–.

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: –You know, that Verona is a fight town and–.

Mr. Disino Lois Jr.: –Exactly–.

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: –Yeah, the arenas weren’t available in Los Angeles or Las Vegas. So, you know, we didn’t take a risk of taking it to Verona. I mean we obviously already–Pelullo knew first hand what type of fans there are in Verona, New York. So, you know, obviously he wasn’t wrong. I mean this is almost a sell out event so we’re excited to be part of it.

Mr. Disino Lois Jr.: Thank you very much–God bless all of you and [Foreign Language Spoken]. Thank you very much, I appreciate it.

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: Gracias.

Operator: All right, next question comes from the lines of Chris Gunzz with 15rounds.com. Your line is live.

Mr. Chris Gunzz: Lucas, I know that–it was my opinion that it was Fight of the Year last year, you versus John Molina. And you know how hard John Molina hits. You faced him. When you were sent film of Ruslan, you know that he carries a punch. How do you assess through film when you compare what you might feel from him, that what you already felt from John Molina? Who do you think has bigger one-punch power?

Mr. Eric Gomez: Lucas, [Foreign Language Spoken]. Lucas?

Mr. Lucas Matthysse: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Eric Gomez: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Lucas Matthysse: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Eric Gomez: Yes, yes, okay–yeah, yeah, you know, obviously it’s hard to compare because, you know, I haven’t fought against Ruslan. But they’re different styles. They’re different styles. Molina was a little sneaky. Ruslan is a very, very different style. Obviously the object of it is not to get hit, you know, in this fight but I’m preparing. I’ll be ready for it.

Mr. Chris Gunzz: And, as a guy who faced that kind of power and had to get up, cross the canvas, and you pulled out a victory in that great fight, do you ever have any questions that if Ruslan does prove to carry bigger power, will you be able to get up? Do you ever question that?

Mr. Eric Gomez: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Lucas Matthysse: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Eric Gomez: I’m not going to get dropped with Ruslan. So, you don’t have to worry about that. I’m not going to get dropped. But when Molina dropped me, you know, if the punch was a little bit behind my head. I’m not making excuses, but I’m not going to get dropped. I’m not going to get dropped with Ruslan and that’s not what I’m thinking about.

Mr. Chris Gunzz: He’s pretty tough, and one question for Cuty Barrera, Lucas did show and he has shown that he can jab and he can move a little bit. He does have a little bit more to his game than Ruslan does. Is it a game plan to show movement because Ruslan does admit that he has problems with movers? Is it a plan to try to move a little bit?

Mr. Eric Gomez: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Cuty Barrera: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Eric Gomez: He’s talking in robot I think. I don’t know what he’s saying. [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Chris Gunzz: Does Lucas want to answer that? Is he trying to involve a little bit more movement to the fight?

Mr. Eric Gomez: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Cuty Barrera: [Foreign Language Spoken].

Mr. Artie Pelullo: I don’t now what’s going on.

Mr. Eric Gomez: Yeah, he said, you know what? I think I understood him saying they’re working on the jab. He’s working on the jab a little bit, but he doesn’t want to give up too much information.

Mr. Chris Gunzz: Maybe he’s coming as a robot. He’s going to be had to beat if he does. And one quick question for Oscar. Oscar, when you finished laughing out loud, what did you end up saying through text or phone call to Gary Russell on Saturday night? I’m just playing. I’m just playing. I don’t want you to answer that. I know you’re a lot more professional. I just want to commend you on the great fights that you’re putting on and the great job you’re doing at Golden Boy. I do appreciate the great job you guys are doing–thank you–thank you, everyone.

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: Thank you.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Are we done, Marc?

Operator: We have no further questions, thank you, at this time.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Okay, so, I guess, Oscar, I want to thank you. Eric, Lucas Matthysse, Ruslan, and all of the reporters on board. See everybody–Oscar, I’d like you–I’ll let you finish up with the last word. I want to see everybody at the fight and I appreciate everything that is happening with this great event–thank you.

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: Thank you–thank you very much, and, yeah, there’s really not much to say. We’ll see you April 18th. I mean sure fireworks. We are all excited and we’re just–it’s just a pleasure to be working with Artie Pelullo and his staff and everybody involved. So, watch it live on HBO Championship Boxing. There’s a few tickets left. So, it’s sure going to be a sell out and crowd there in New York. So, we’re excited and so we’ll see you soon–thank you.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: Oscar, if you’re around tomorrow, Wednesday, I’ll be in LA. Lunch is on me at In-N-Out Burger. Very important on the east coast–we don’t have them here.

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: I’m actually in–I’ll be in New York, but I’ll take you up on that at another date–thank you, Artie.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: You got it. Have a good day, guys–thank you very much–anything else, Marc?

Mr. Marc Abrams: No.

Mr. Artie Pelullo: All right, thank you–bye bye–.

Mr. Oscar De La Hoya: –Bye–.

FACTS: Matthysse vs. Provodnikov is a 12-round junior welterweight bout presented by Banner Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Boxing and is sponsored by Corona Extra, Mexico – Live It To Believe It! and Khortytsa Vodka. The HBO Boxing After Dark telecast begins at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

TICKETS: The April 18 showdown between former World Champions Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse and “The Siberian Rocky” Ruslan Provodnikov proved to be a smashing success as all ringside seats have sold-out. Limited seats are still available , $35 and $25 and are available at the Turning Stone Resort Box Office by calling 315-361-7469 or online at Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com).

Professional media requesting credentials for the April 18th fight must contact Kelly Abdo, Turning Stone Resort Casino Public Relations Manager at 315.366.9291 or kelly.abdo@turningstone.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.banner-promotions.com, www.hbo.com/boxing and www.turningstone.com follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @BannerBoxing, @HBOBoxing, @RuslanProvod, @ TurningStone and become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing or www.facebook.com/TurningStoneResort and visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @ bannerboxing, @ turningstone and @ruslanprovod.

Oneida Nation Homelands (March 27, 2015) – When the Saturday, April 18 fight between Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse and “The Siberian Rocky” Ruslan Provodnikov at Turning Stone Resort Casino was announced, the boxing world erupted – and ticket sales mimicked the enthusiasm. Due to the unprecedented demand to see this sure-fire “Fight of the Year” candidate, ringside seats sold out in only 15 minutes – and the entire event is now near sellout with Turning Stone releasing the last group of tickets. Limited $35 and $25 seats are still available for this epic fight.

Former World Champions Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse and “The Siberian Rocky” Ruslan Provodnikov, two of boxing’s hardest punchers, will take the stage on April 18 at Turning Stone Resort in a 12-round junior welterweight showdown which will be televised as part of a split site doubleheader live on HBO Boxing After Dark®. The clash of these two fearsome fighters will generate what is sure to be an all-action battle to remember.

The host of this legendary event, the Oneida Nation’s Turning Stone Resort Casino, continues to be nationally recognized as a leading venue for blockbuster boxing matches. In fact, boxing legend Mike Tyson selected Turning Stone Resort as the venue for his world debut as a promoter, Muhammad Ali’s daughter Laila Ali made her boxing debut at Turning Stone, and many boxing hall-of-famers have promoted fight cards or fought at the resort in recent years, and now Turning Stone has landed a “Fight of the Year” contender over arenas in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Miami. The April 18 fight will mark Turning Stone’s 15th televised boxing event in less than two years, cementing the resort as a mecca for knockout nationally-televised fights.

A truly stunning 3,400 acre destination resort, Turning Stone Resort also offers four award-winning hotels, an eclectic mix of more than 20 fine- and casual-dining restaurants, world-class amenities, including two luxury spas, five professional-level golf courses, an indoor tennis and golf dome, vast entertainment options, multiple nightlife venues and a 120,000 square foot Vegas-style gaming floor. Turning Stone Resort recently received several prestigious awards, including three AAA Four Diamond awards, accolades granted to less than four percent of AAA’s approved properties, distinguishing Turning Stone as the only resort in the entire Northeast with three Four Diamond venues at one property.

Matthysse vs. Provodnikov is a 12-round junior welterweight bout presented by Banner Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Box Promotions and is sponsored by Corona Extra, Mexico, Live it To Believe It! and Khortytsa Vodka. Doors are currently scheduled to open at 6:00 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7:00 p.m. and the HBO Boxing After Dark® telecast will being at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Limited seats are still available by calling the Turning Stone Resort Box Office at 315-361-7469 or online at Ticketmaster.

Professional media requesting credentials for the April 18th fight must contact Kelly Abdo, Turning Stone Resort Casino Public Relations Manager at 315.366.9291 or kelly.abdo@turningstone.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.banner-promotions.com, www.hbo.com/boxing and www.turningstone.com follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @BannerBoxing, @HBOBoxing, @RuslanProvod, @ TurningStone and become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing or www.facebook.com/TurningStoneResort and visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @ bannerboxing, @ turningstone and @ruslanprovod.

Philadelphia (Feb. 27) — First day tickets sales for the April 18 showdown between former World Champions Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse and “The Siberian Rocky” Ruslan Provodnikov proved to be a smashing success as all ringside seats have sold-out. The cant-miss “Fight of the Year” candidate between Matthysse and Providnikov is expected to sell-out quickly. Limited seats are still available at the $50, $35 and $25 price range.

Presented by Banner Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Boxing the 12-round junior welterweight bout and expected to be the sure-fire ‘Fight of The Year’ contender will take place on Saturday, April 18 at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York and televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark ® beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets for the April 18th HBO Boxing After Dark event at Turning Stone Resort are on sale now. Ticket prices are $75 for ringside seats (SOLD OUT) ,$50, $35, and $25 plus applicable fees and are available at the Turning Stone Resort Box Office by calling 315-361-7469 or online at Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com).

Matthysse vs. Provodnikov is a 12-round junior welterweight bout presented by Banner Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Boxing and is sponsored by Corona Extra and Mexico, Live it To Believe It!. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 8:00 p.m. and the HBO Boxing After Dark telecast at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Host of the event, the Oneida Nation’s Turning Stone Resort Casino continues to distinguish itself as a premier destination for blockbuster boxing matches. The April 18th fight will mark Turning Stone Resort’s 15th nationally-televised boxing event in less than two years, cementing the resort as a mecca for knockout televised fights. Boxing legends Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have promoted televised fight cards at the resort within the last year. Located in Upstate New York, the four-season destination resort offers world-class entertainment and gaming, award-winning accommodations, an eclectic mix of restaurants, luxury spas and numerous nightlife options.

Philadelphia (Feb. 26) – Tickets will go on sale TODAY!! for the sure-fire ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate between former world Champions Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse and Ruslan Provodnikov.

The fight will take place on Saturday, April 18 at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

Banner Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Box Promotions will promote the the bout which will be be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets for the April 18th HBO Boxing After Dark event at Turning Stone Resort go on sale on TODAY!!!,Thursday, February 26 at 10:00 a.m. ET. Ticket prices are $75 for ringside seats, $50, $35, and $25 plus applicable fees and are available at the Turning Stone Resort Box Office by calling 315-361-7469 or online at Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com).

Doors open at 7:00 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 8:00 p.m. and the HBO Boxing After Dark telecast at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Host of the event, the Oneida Nation’s Turning Stone Resort Casino continues to distinguish itself as a premier destination for blockbuster boxing matches. The April 18th fight will mark Turning Stone Resort’s 15th nationally-televised boxing event in less than two years, cementing the resort as a mecca for knockout televised fights. Boxing legends Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have promoted televised fight cards at the resort within the last year. Located in Upstate New York, the four-season destination resort offers world-class entertainment and gaming, award-winning accommodations, an eclectic mix of restaurants, luxury spas and numerous nightlife options.

Philadelphia (Feb. 25) – Tickets will go on sale tomorrow for the sure-fire ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate between former world Champions Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse and Ruslan Provodnikov.

The fight will take place on Saturday, April 18 at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

Banner Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Box Promotions will promote the the bout which will bew be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Tickets for the April 18th HBO Boxing After Dark event at Turning Stone Resort go on sale on Thursday, February 26 at 10:00 a.m. ET. Ticket prices are $75 for ringside seats, $50, $35, and $25 plus applicable fees and are available at the Turning Stone Resort Box Office by calling 315-361-7469 or online at Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com).

Doors open at 7:00 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 8:00 p.m. and the HBO Boxing After Dark telecast at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Host of the event, the Oneida Nation’s Turning Stone Resort Casino continues to distinguish itself as a premier destination for blockbuster boxing matches. The April 18th fight will mark Turning Stone Resort’s 15th nationally-televised boxing event in less than two years, cementing the resort as a mecca for knockout televised fights. Boxing legends Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have promoted televised fight cards at the resort within the last year. Located in Upstate New York, the four-season destination resort offers world-class entertainment and gaming, award-winning accommodations, an eclectic mix of restaurants, luxury spas and numerous nightlife options.

Professional media requesting credentials for the April 18th fight must contact Kelly Abdo, Turning Stone Resort Casino Public Relations Manager at 315.366.9291 or kelly.abdo@turningstone.com.

For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, www.banner-promotions.com, www.hbo.com/boxing and www.turningstone.com follow on Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing, @BannerBoxing, @HBOBoxing, @RuslanProvod, @ TurningStone and become a fan on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page, www.facebook.com/BannerPromotions, www.facebook.com/HBOBoxing or www.facebook.com/TurningStoneResort and visit us on Instagram @GoldenBoyBoxing, @ bannerboxing, @ turningstone and @ruslanprovod.

Philadelphia (Feb. 24) – A sure-fire ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate will come early as former World Champions Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse and Ruslan Provodnikov, two of boxing’s hardest punchers, take the stage in a 12-round jr. welterweight showdown on Saturday, April 18 at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY. Banner Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Box Promotions announced today the clash of these two fearsome fighters will generate what is surely to be an all-action fight to remember and a treat all fight fans are excited for. The bout with be televised live on HBO Boxing After Dark beginning at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

“I’m glad that this fight is finally done,” said Ruslan Provodnikov. “This is the fight I have been waiting for a long time. I think that this fight will be nominated for either ‘Fight of the Year’ or ‘Knockout of the Year’.”

“I only want the biggest fights against the best fighters and this fight between Provodnikov and I, will surely be ‘Fight of the Year’,” said Lucas Matthysse. “Provodnikov is a warrior that never stops throwing punches and his style suits me very well. I’m confident that I will win, and since Danny Garcia doesn’t want to fight me again, this fight will prove that I am one of the best fighters in the world.”

“One-punch knockout power. Lightning-fast action. A likely world title shot to the winner – this bout has ‘Fight of the Year’ written all over it,” said Oscar De La Hoya, Founder and President of Golden Boy Promotions. “This is a fight that fans have been clamoring for since these warriors were last in action, and Golden Boy Promotions is proud to deliver it to the fans worldwide.”

“I’m very excited about the fight between Ruslan Provodnikov and Lucas Matthysse,” said Arthur Pelullo, President of Banner Promotions. “This has the making of Corrales – Castillo I all over again. This is the most fan-friendly and television-friendly fight in a long time. Both Ruslan and Lucas are real warriors, and it’s a fight that both fighters wanted so it was very easy to make. Working with Oscar De La Hoya and Eric Gomez has been a pleasure.

“A dream match comes together when two men fight who are seemingly each other’s worst nightmare, and that’s a litmus test this fight passes,” said Peter Nelson, HBO Sports vice president of programming. “On April 18, HBO Boxing After Dark will present Argentine Lucas Matthysse against Russian Ruslan Provodnikov in a fight promising to be so highly combustible that just the lights turning on should set the ring ablaze.”

“The Provodnikov Matthysse matchup is destined to be one of the must-see fights of the year and we’re looking forward to hosting another exciting night of boxing at Turning Stone,” said Ray Halbritter, Oneida Nation Representative and Nation Enterprises CEO. “In less than two years, we’ve hosted 15 nationally televised fights, distinguishing our resort as premier destination for world-class boxing.”
“Ruslan is going to put up the great fight we want for Matthysse and will show that he is the best fighter in the division,” said Mario Arano, manager of Matthysse. “Provodnikov is an uncompromising fighter, that comes to fight and his style will suit Lucas. We would like to thank Oscar De La Hoya, Golden Boy Promotions and HBO for making this fight possible. Fans will be excited to watch this fight and will not be disappointed.”

“I want to say thank you to Banner Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions on making this fight possible,” said Vadim Kornilov, manager of Provodnikov. “I wish there were more promoters in the sport that are prepared to have their fighters take a risk and make the best fights for the sport. Usually the fights that everybody wants to see don’t happen due to reasons beyond the understanding of the fans, and it should not be that way.”

Considered by most to be boxing’s pound-for-pound hardest puncher, Trelew, Chubut, Argentina’s Lucas “La Maquina” Matthysse (36-3, 34 KOs) has the numbers and high-profile victims to prove it. Having cut through the super lightweight division with his iron fists for years and an owner of 13 knockouts in his last 13 wins, the 32-year-old has taken out several of the sport’s big names. Humberto “Zorrita” Soto, Lamont Peterson, DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley, Danny “Swift” Garcia and John Molina Jr., have all suffered loses to Matthysse, while earning him the interim WBC World title at 140 pounds in the process. Now looking to reign over a new division at 147 pounds, “La Maquina” has picked the toughest available foe to test him in Russian powerhouse Provodnikov.

Dubbed the “Siberian Rocky” for his aggressive attack and unyielding will to win, Beryozovo, Russia native Ruslan Provodnikov (24-3, 17 KOs) has earned himself fight fans around the globe for his humble nature outside the ring and ferocious intensity inside the ropes. An eight-year professional, Provodnikov followed up a stellar amateur career with an even more impressive campaign in the professional game. He has had notable wins over several top foes including a ‘Fight of the Year’ bout with Timothy Bradley in 2013 and a 10th round stoppage over Mike Alvarado in 2013 that yielded him the WBO Super Lightweight World title. In his last bout in November, Provodnikov won a fifth round stoppage over former World Champion Jose Luis Castillo, now on April 18 he continues his quest for a welterweight title against Matthysse.

Matthysse vs. Provodnikov is a 12-round jr. welterweight bout presented by Banner Promotions, Golden Boy Promotions in association with Arano Box Promotions and is sponsored by Corona Extra and Mexico, Live it To Believe It!.

Host of the event, the Oneida Nation’s Turning Stone Resort Casino continues to distinguish itself as a premier destination for blockbuster boxing matches. The April 18th fight will mark Turning Stone Resort’s 15th nationally-televised boxing event in less than two years, cementing the resort as a mecca for knockout televised fights. Boxing legends Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have promoted televised fight cards at the resort within the last year. Located in Upstate New York, the four-season destination resort offers world-class entertainment and gaming, award-winning accommodations, an eclectic mix of restaurants, luxury spas and numerous nightlife options.

Tickets for the April 18th HBO Boxing After Dark event at Turning Stone Resort go on sale on Thursday, February 26 at 10:00 a.m. ET. Ticket prices are $75 for ringside seats, $50, $35 and $25 plus applicable fees and are available at the Turning Stone Resort Box Office by calling 315-361-7469 or online at Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com).

Doors open at 7:00 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 8:00 p.m. and the HBO Boxing After Dark telecast at 9:45 p.m. ET/PT.

Los Angeles, CA (February 2, 2015)– “The Siberian Rocky”, former WBO Jr. Welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov arrived at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Sunday night to begin preparations for a major Spring bout that will be announced shortly.

Provodnikov was greeted by his manager Vadim Kornilov and was joined by Boxcino 2015 Heavyweight participant Andrey Fedosov.

They will begin training at the famed Wild Card Gym in Hollywood.

Moscow, Russia / Philadelphia (November 12, 2014)–On Friday November 28, former world champions will collide when “The Siberian Rocky” Ruslan Provodnikov squares off with Jose Luis Castillo in a 12-round Welterweight bout at the Luzhniki GCKZ “Russia” Arena in Moscow,

The fight is promoted by Artie Pelullo’s Banner Promotions and World of Boxing LLC

“I’m happy to be fighting at home! It’s been three years, and I’m ready for war with Castillo! Hope to see all my fans in Moscow on Nov. 28th!” said Provodnikov

Provodnikov will be making a homecoming as it will be his first fight in his native Russia since December 5, 2011.

Provodnikov of Beryozovo, Russia has a record of 23-3 with 16 knockouts and is the former WBO Jr. Welterweight world champion.

He is considered the most exciting fighter in the sport due to his crowd-pleasing style.

Provodnikov won his first seventeen bouts as he defeated many quality opponents.
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On March 16, 2013, Provodnikov took on undefeated WBO Welterweight world champion Timothy Bradley at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

Provodnikov beat and battered Bradley to the point where Bradley suffered a concussion and was sent to the canvas in the final seconds of the bout

The fight made Ruslan a one of boxing’s “Cant Miss” stars. Unfortunately, Bradley won a debated split decision in what was the 2013 Fight of the Year.

Since that bout, there has been a major push for the rematch, but Provodnikov has been turned down several times by Bradley. Bradley has stated on more then one occasion that he will never get into the ring with Provodnikov again.

Provodnikov would not be denied as in his very next bout he won the WBO Jr. Welterweight title with an emphatic 10th round stoppage over Mike Alvarado in Alvardo’s hometown of Broomfield, Colorado.

Provodnikov dropped Alvarado twice in round eight, which were the first two times in Alvarado’s career that he ever tasted the canvas. Provodnikov continued to batter Alvarado until he could no longer take any more punishment and he quit on the stool in the bout which took place on October 19, 2013.

Provodnikov is coming off a controversial split decision defeat to undefeated Chris Algieri, in a bout that saw Ruslan drop Algieri twice in round one and badly closed Algieri’s eye. Most ringside observers and the audience watching on HBO thought the verdict should have gone to Provodnikov.

Castillo of Mexicali, Mexico is a two-time WBC Lightweight world champion who has made five total defenses and has been in several memorable bouts.

He has a record of 66-12-1 with 57 knockouts,

He captured the WBC Lightweight title on June 17, 2000 with a 12-round majority decision over Stevie Johnston (30-1). He defended the title with a draw with Johnston and then he scored a 6-round stoppage over Cesar Bezan & Seung-Ho Yuh (13-1).

In April 20, 2002, Castillo was denied a victory that most believed he deserved when he pushed Floyd Mayweather to the limit before being on the wrong end of a unanimous decision. Eight months later, Castillo fought a rematch with Mayweather and lost another unanimous decision in a bout where the scores were even closer than their first encounter.

On June 5, 2004, Castillo regained the WBC Lightweight title with a 12-round unanimous decision over Juan Lazcano. He defended the title with a 12-round split decision over Joel Casamayor and a 10th round stoppage over Julio Diaz.

On May 7, 2005, Castillo and Diego Corrales engaged in what most think is one of the greatest fights of all time. They fought an epic battle that saw Corrales and Castillo wage an inside battle for the ages. In the memorable 10th round, Castillo sent Corrales to the canvas twice. Only to see, Corrales, with his left eye closed, comeback and landed a barrage of punches on the ropes before referee Tony Weeks stopped the fight.

Castillo got even in the rematch by stopping Corrales in the 4th round of the rematch.

Castillo has continued to fight and defeat top opposition and is on a two-fight winning streak and in his last bout, he defeated Jose Luis Payan (12-1-1) via 5th round stoppage on May 30 in Nogales, Mexico.

“I am very excited to have Ruslan fight back in Moscow. Ruslan is one of the biggest stars in the sport of boxing. He will be fighting in front of his countrymen in a sold-out arena against a great former world champion in Jose Luis Castillo. I want to thank Andrey Rybinski for all his help and it has been a pleasure to work with him and his staff,”said Banner Promotions President Artie Pelullo.

An American television outlet will be announced shortly.

Nov. 7, 2014 – Leading up to the highly anticipated welterweight world title bout between Manny Pacquiao and Chris Algieri – set for Saturday, November 22 and presented live by HBO Pay-Per-View® – HBO Sports will present the exclusive replay of two compelling showdowns that highlight the remarkable skill and will of these combatants.

On Friday, Nov. 14 at 11:00 p.m. (ET/PT) and Saturday, Nov. 15 at 8:15 a.m. (ET/PT), HBO2 will replay Pacquiao vs. Bradley II 2014 and Algieri vs. Provodnikov 2014 back-to-back. On April 12, 2014 in the bright spotlight of Las Vegas, Manny Pacquiao avenged his controversial loss with a dominating performance over then undefeated Timothy Bradley in their championship title rematch. Last June in Brooklyn, NY, Algieri displayed incredible fortitude and ring skills by rebounding from an opening round onslaught to upset 140-pound title-holder Ruslan Provodnikov in one of the year’s most remarkable triumphs.

Both fights will also be available 24 hours a day to HBO On Demand® and HBO GO® subscribers beginning Monday, Nov. 10.

Pacquiao vs. Algieri takes place Saturday, November 22 and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET/ 6:00 p.m. PT.

Moscow, Russia (September 26, 2014)– Former WBO Jr. Welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov was joined in his native Russia by his promoter Artie Pelullo and trainer Freddie Roach.

The three,along with manager Vadim Kornilov are in Russia to discuss Provodnikov’s next bout, which will take place in his homeland before the end of the year.

Provodnikov has made his feelings known that he wants a rematch with Chris Algieri early in 2015.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (Aug. 15th, 2014) – Former World Boxing Organization (WBO) light welterweight world champion Ruslan Provodnikov, known as “The Siberian Rocky,” is looking to step back into the ring this fall following a close loss to Chris Algieri in June, and Philadelphia’s “Hammerin’” Hank Lundy could be next on the hard-hitting Russian’s list.

Coming off his third consecutive win in July, Lundy (25-3-1, 12 KOs) is now ranked No. 3 in the World Boxing Council (WBC) among lightweights and would have no problem stepping up to 140 pounds to face Provodnikov, a fight he felt he should’ve had been in June when Provodnikov (23-3, 16 KOs) instead faced Algieri at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“They had a list of guys to fight, including Algieri, Richar Abril and me and when they got my name, there was no excuse. They just didn’t want to fight me,” Lundy said. “They said Algieri wasn’t exciting enough, but with me, they just didn’t want to fight me.

“Then he fought Algieri anyway and got beat! This is the kind of fight I’ve been looking for. If I’ve got to take on the big, bad wolf to prove I’m elite, then that’s what I’ll do. I’ll come knocking at your door, push my way in, sit in your living room and see what the hot tea tastes like! All I can do at the end of the day is keep training and keep on knocking at their doors. These big, bad wolves, they say so much, but I’m the only one doing. I’m the one stepping to the plate and fighting.”

Lundy’s ability to win on the road in hostile environments, even on short notice, and beat the sport’s elite fighters has been well documented. The combined record of Lundy’s last 11 opponents prior to his bout in May is a staggering 232-18-3, including a win over Abril, the current World Boxing Association (WBA) lightweight champion.

“I’m ready,” Lundy reiterated. “If [Provodnikov] wants to fight tomorrow, I’m ready to go. I’m already ready. I never have to get ready for a fight. That’s something you learn in the hood.”

Visit www.cesboxing.com for more information, follow CES Boxing on Twitter at @CESBOXING and Instagram at CESBOXING, or “like” CES Boxing on Facebook.

Philadelphia, PA (August 2, 2014)–The “Siberian Rocky” Ruslan Provodnikov (23-3, 16 KO’s) will be watching tonight’s HBO’s Boxing After Dark card from Las Vegas with a added interest as a potential fall opponent could emerge from the two fights that will be held at the Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino.

In the opening bout, WBA Super Lightweight champion Jesse Vargas (24-0, 9 KO’s) will defend his title against Anton Novikov (29-0, 10 KO’s) while in the main event Brandon Rios (31-2-1, 23 KO’s) Squares off with Diego Chaves (23-1, 19 KO’s) in a Welterweight bout.

“I look forward to this Saturday’s fight card on HBO. I know that there is a possibility that I will be back in the ring in November and the opponents being considered are the winner of Rios vs. Chaves, the winner of Vargas vs. Novikov, as well as a rematch with Timothy Bradley. All these are great options for me and I’m curious to see who the winners are this weekend. “, said Provodnikov

The HBO card will begin at 9:45 ET / PT and will also feature a WBO Light Heavyweight title bout between Sergey Kovalev and Blake Caparello from Atlantic City that will complete the split side tripleheader.

June 16, 2014 – After Chris Algieri (20-0, 8 KO’s) dethroned Ruslan Provodnikov (23-3, 16 KO’s) to capture the WBO 140-pound title this past Saturday night on HBO, Gary Shaw Productions Puerto Rican contender, Thomas Dulorme (21-1, 14 KO’s), gave a statement on the matter.

“From the beginning, I have always said that Ruslan Provodnikov is not ‘Superman’. Many people were selling him as something out of this world, and I really wanted to fight him on this same date, but they did not want it. We knew that the throne of Ruslan would not last long, and one of the reasons is his style. Lots of people said that I was crazy for wanting to fight him, but now I just have to congratulate Chris Algieri for his great performance”, said Thomas Dulorme, who currently at 140 pounds is ranked #2 by the World Boxing Association (WBA), #3 by the World Boxing Council (WBC), #4 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF), and #8 in the World Boxing Organization (WBO).

“I want to fight the best fighters available in my division, and Algieri is one of them” said Dulorme, who is trained by renowned trainer, Robert Garcia in Oxnard, California. “A fight with Algieri would be something I would welcome very much.”

In his last bout, Dulorme captured the NABF Junior Welterweight title, when defeated former undefeated Californian, Karim Mayfield (18-1-1, 11 KOs), by unanimous decision in a HBO live televised bout on March, 29 2014.

“Dulorme has always wanted to fight the top fighters in the division,” said Gary Shaw. “Algieri proved he’s an elite fighter with his recent victory against Provodnikov to capture the WBO title. I believe Algieri vs. Dulorme would be a great fight for the fans. These are the type of fights the fans want to see.”

By Bart Barry-

Two Saturdays ago in Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden our sport bade a tempered farewell to former middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, squinting at a hobbled impostor sent hobbling to his stool by Miguel Cotto, even while recalling fondly the innovator who once, as a 154-pounder, stood brazenly, gloves on thighs, before middleweight world champion Kelly Pavlik. Saturday in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center our sport bade a fond hello to New York junior welterweight Chris Algieri, a smartly stylish innovator of his own who just unmanned boxing’s most-feared puncher, Russian Ruslan “Siberian Rocky” Provodnikov, to score 2014’s biggest upset by split-decision scores of 114-112, 114-112 and 109-117.

After weathering a one-punch knockdown and a timeout knee in Saturday’s opening round, Algieri proved himself intelligent and unflappable as a man might be in his world-title-fight debut. Perhaps no tactic employed by Algieri Saturday betrayed the cleverness of his unorthodox craft better than how he repeatedly thrust himself at the ropes each round, performing a feat of balance and leverage that would merit bonus ring-generalship points from judges, were our sport’s scorekeepers reliably able to observe from a mindset more sophisticated than “hit the damn guy!”

A man driven to the ropes by another, the way, say, Mike Alvarado was driven ropesward by Provodnikov in October, generally gets flattened against them, his feet and shoulders squared in tacit agreement his better deserves the largest conceivable target upon which to whale. But Algieri was rarely found in such a helpless posture when his back touched the ropes, ropes against which the New Yorker was rarely trapped by Provodnikov. Instead Algieri’s left leg remained well in front of his right, and his weight shifted dramatically from front to back each time he arrived within a meter of the ropes. He exploded, in other words, backwards to the ropes, employing them much as a slingshot from which he hurled himself forward, either to smother and clinch and counter Provodnikov, or to pivot more quickly away.

It was an innovative and innovatively ballsy way to fight the hardest puncher in the junior welterweight division, a man whose blows temporarily claimed Timothy Bradley’s consciousness any number of times, and in one half hour succeeded at transforming Mike Alvarado from a tatted badboy to a wincing pragmatist – a feat still eluding Colorado’s criminal-justice system in a decade of trying.

Algieri’s achievement was still more impressive when one considers Provodnikov did not have an off night. His head movement under trainer Freddie Roach’s instruction has improved steadily, and his footwork, while perhaps plodding, is nevertheless Mexican-like in its efficiency. Provodnikov was on, Saturday at Barclays Center, and did not appear dismayed or frustrated during the first defense of his WBO title. Both guys made the fights they drew up in camp, both men executed their gameplans, and Algieri was simply the better prizefighter.

He hit Provodnikov with every punch in the boxing lexicon, from uppercut counters to a left-wheeling righthand lead thrown like a jab with more than a tincture of Muhammad Ali. Algieri suspected, and quickly proved, that while the acceleration Provodnikov applies to the mass of a fist is unique among even professional punchers, Provodnikov is not physically stronger than most 140-pound prizefighters, and certainly no stronger than Algieri – part of a riddle of human musculature, flexibility and form that finds a man who can military press his body weight often incapable of hurling a football more than 20 yards using the same deltoids. Bounding off the ropes, time and again, Algieri met Provodnikov in full forward press and stopped the Russian’s momentum, and in some cases drove him backwards – and only one man was in any way able to punch while moving backwards, Saturday, and it decidedly was not the Siberian Rocky.

Every punch Provodnikov landed was ferocious, though, do not doubt; until a man has been ringside while Provodnikov is punching, until he has heard the quantitatively louder sound Provodnikov’s leather makes when it smacks flesh, he cannot appreciate quite how brutal the Russian’s attack is. Better put: Perhaps only those aficionados who have been ringside for a Provodnikov prizefight fathomed judge Max DeLuca’s dissenting 109-117 score, a card to make roseate the cheeks of even professors in the “hit the damn guy!” school of scorekeeping. Rumor is, HBO’s unofficial scorekeeper, too, awarded too many points to Provodnikov, though that faux-pas is pardonable for an entirely different reason: Steve’s job is to ratify whatever Jim and Max shout in his headset through the preceding three minutes; these days, HBO’s unofficial scoring could as easily be done from the production truck.

After the match, Algieri, as cogent a postfight interview as memory retrieves, said only the first left hand Provodnikov landed, the one that unceremoniously dropped the New Yorker on the blue mat in round 1, actually hurt him. That is nearly believable, as unflappable as Algieri appeared while fielding Provodnikov’s other clean punches, even with Algieri’s right eye closed or closing for the fight’s final 33 or so minutes. Or perhaps, in a counterintuitive twist, Algieri’s closed right eye helped him.

As demonstrated two Saturdays ago by Miguel Cotto, Roach-trained fighters are particularly adept at throwing left hooks their opponents do not detect; Sergio Martinez stubbornly believed he could see Cotto’s left-hook lead coming, even though he couldn’t, while Algieri, well aware he could peripherally detect nothing right of his nose, relied instead on what data his left eye recorded of Provodnikov’s shifting weight well before Provodnikov had his hook fully cocked, allowing Algieri to block and duck Provodnikov hooks in a way that looked perfectly magical to casual fans.

For his part, after the match Provodnikov implied Algieri ran away instead of fighting him, a curiously slanderous thing to say of a man whose knuckles just touched one’s head and body some 250 times. Such was the one-eyed Christopher Algieri’s masterful control of space and time, though, that a man who stood within arm’s length of him for a minimum of 300 instants Saturday still openly wondered where the hell Algieri had been during their fight.

Bart Barry can be reached at bart.barrys.email (at) gmail.com

BROOKLYN (June 13, 2014) – World championship boxing returns to Brooklyn this tomorrow night!

WBO junior welterweight champion RUSLAN “The Siberian Rocky” PROVODNIKOV (23-2, 16 KOs) of Beryozovo, Russia and local scholar/brawler CHRIS ALGIERI (19-0, 8 KOs) of Huntington, Long Island weighed in at 139.8 and 140 pounds, respectively, for their highly-anticipated world championship battle.

Provodnikov vs. Algieri will headline a night of championship boxing, including the co- main event featuring undefeated WBO junior middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade (20-0, 13 KOs), of Providence, RI, making his first title defense, against No. 1 contender and mandatory challenger Brian Rose (25-1-1, 7 KOs), of Blackpool, England. Both fighters weighed in at 153.8 and 153.4 pounds, respectively.

Promoted by Banner Promotions and Top Rank®, in association with Joe DeGuardia’s Star Boxing and Tecate, 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 Provodnikov – Algieri world title fight will take place Saturday night, June 14, and will be televised live from Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on HBO Boxing After Dark®. The telecast will begin at 10:00 P.M. ET/PT.

Photo by Ed Mulholland / HBO

HBO’s hit late-night boxing franchise returns for a full night of world class action when HBO BOXING AFTER DARK: RUSLAN PROVODNIKOV VS. CHRIS ALGIERI AND DEMETRIUS ANDRADE VS. BRIAN ROSE is seen SATURDAY, JUNE 14 at 10:00 p.m. (live ET/tape-delayed PT) from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, exclusively on HBO. The HBO Sports team will be ringside for the event, which will be available in HDTV, closed-captioned for the hearing-impaired and presented in Spanish on HBO Latino.

Other HBO playdates: June 15 (9:00 a.m.) and 17 (12:45 a.m.)
HBO2 playdate: June 15 (3:00 p.m.)
In addition to the two live fights, HBO will air the replay of the Sergio Martinez-Miguel Cotto world middleweight title fight from June 7. In a brilliant display before a capacity crowd at Madison Square Garden, Cotto registered a career-defining performance in capturing the 160-pound title belt. The highly anticipated showdown was carried originally on HBO Pay-Per-View®.
In the feature event at Brooklyn, Ruslan Provodnikov (23-2, 16 KOs), the “Siberian Rocky,” puts his hard-earned junior welterweight title on the line against local talent Chris Algieri (19-0, 8 KOs) of Huntington, NY in a matchup slated for 12 rounds. An awe-inspiring outing against Timothy Bradley in 2013’s Fight of the Year and a rousing triumph over 140-pound titleholder Mike Alvarado last October have brought Provodnikov, 30, to the doorstep of stardom. The Russian’s exciting fighting style, coupled with arguably the most destructive right hand in the division, are guaranteed to satisfy the most critical boxing buffs.
Different principles have paved a path of triumph for the 30-year-old Algieri. In February, facing his toughest challenge yet, he picked Emmanuel Taylor him apart en route to a unanimous decision. That victory has merited him a shot at Provodnikov’s title in his first headlining bout on HBO.
The live action kicks off as two budding stars duke it out for the junior middleweight crown when titleholder Demetrius Andrade (20-0, 13 KOs) of Providence, RI, and Brian Rose (25-1-1, 7 KOs) of Blackpool, Lancashire, UK, square off in a 12-round fight.
After being knocked down for the first time in his promising career, Andrade, 26, doggedly scrapped his way to a split decision over the then-undefeated Vanes Martirosyan in his HBO debut last November. The rising star will be defending his title for the first time.
Victories by knockout, decision and points have cemented the 29-year-old Rose’s reputation as one the most versatile and ring-savvy prizefighters in the UK. This bout marks his first American appearance and his HBO debut.
Follow HBO boxing news at hbo.com/boxing, on Facebook at facebook.com/hboboxing and on Twitter at twitter.com/hboboxing.
All HBO boxing events are presented in HDTV. HBO viewers must have access to the HBO HDTV channel to watch HBO programming in high definition.
The executive producer of HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is Rick Bernstein; producer, Jon Crystal; director, Johnathan Evans.
® HBO BOXING AFTER DARK is a registered service mark of Home Box Office, Inc.