Russians bloodied, battered

BAGUIO, Philippines – Manny Pacquiao is making his Russian sparring partners work for every penny.

Last Thursday, the 33-year-old Filipino champion gave Ruslan Provodnikov a blackeye. Yesterday, he left Rustam Nugaev with a bloody nose.

Pacquiao sparred four rounds with Provodnikov and two rounds with Nugaev, and had the crowd that came to watch him shout with excitement.

The four rounds with Provodnikov, a beefy 5-foot-6 boxer, were fast-paced. They traded heavy blows and in the third round the 28-year-old Russian scored.

He landed a big right that made Pacquiao’s head sway, but shortly after, the reigning WBO welterweight champion responded with his own combination.

Pacquiao was heard asking Provodnikov to press on. 

“Go, go, go,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao leaned on the ropes longer than he was supposed to. In the closing seconds of the second round, he let Provodnikov hit him with solid body shots.

The bell rang and Pacquiao smiled as he walked back to his corner.

Provodnikov still wore the blackeye he sustained in his four rounds of sparring with Pacquiao last Thursday.

Then Nugaev mixed it up with Pacquiao, and the taller, longer and leaner visitor played a little cocky. Pacquiao gave it to him, but Nugaev asked for more.

In the final round, Nugaev was bleeding from the nose, and yet he exposed wanted more, exposing his mid-section, and egging Pacquiao to bring it on.

But time ran out, and Freddie Roach called a halt to the sparring.

Nugaev was asked if he ever got hurt.

“No,” he said.

But did he hurt Pacquiao?

“I don’t know. You ask him,” he replied.