Provodnikov welcomes Pacquiao duel

MANILA, Philippines – The camp of Ruslan Provodnikov, the Russian slugger who currently holds the WBO light welterweight title, is not discounting the possibility of facing off with friend Manny Pacquiao.

Provodnikov’s manager Vadim Kornilov told boxingscene.com that his ward will likely end up fighting Pacquiao if the Russian fails to secure a bout with either Juan Manuel Marquez or Timothy Bradley.

At first, Provodnikov (23-2, with 16 KOs) ruled out a clash with Pacquiao, whom he considers a friend. The two used to spar against each other and are both trained by Freddie Roach.

After Pacquiao beat up Brandon Rios in Macau last November, Provodnikov’s name was brought up as a future opponent, and the Russian eventually welcomed the idea of fighting Pacquiao provided it comes with a cool purse.

Kornilov reaffirmed his client’s interest on the fight.

“If we fail to reach an agreement on a pay-per-view fight with Juan Manuel Marquez, then the possibility of a fight against Pacquiao is really great,” he told Yuri Tantarin of boxingscene.com.

“However, if we can agree on a fight against Marquez or Timothy Bradley, then [the possibility of] a bout with Pacquiao may be postponed for a while. Given that the fans, promoters and [HBO] are very interested in a fight between Pacquiao and Provodnikov, we are most likely going to have to do it,” he added.

Pacquiao himself is eyeing an April 12 fight against either Marquez or Bradley, both of whom own victories over him. He likewise desires a megabuck date with Floyd Mayweather Jr., but that doesn’t appear to happen anytime soon.

In comes Provodnikov, who like Pacquiao also fights under Top Rank Inc., making a fight between them a breeze to arrange.

The Russian’s camp made it clear they only want big fights.

“Provodnikov only wants to fight only against the most dangerous and most well-known opponents and he does not intend to accept less meaningful alternatives," Kornilov said.

Pacquiao obviously fits the criteria.