22 Facts About Ruslan Provodnikov

Ruslan Mikhailovich Provodnikov is a former Russian professional boxer and politician.

Ruslan Provodnikov challenged once for the WBO welterweight title in 2013 against Timothy Bradley, in a fight that was named Fight of the Year by The Ring magazine and the Boxing Writers Association of America.

Ruslan Provodnikov was translated to have said, "I think boxing saved my life", as part of a translation of a statement Ruslan Provodnikov made in response to an interviewer's question about what career he would have chosen if he was not a boxer.

Ruslan Mikhailovich Provodnikov was born in Beryozovo, a small village in Western Siberia to an ethnic Russian father and an ethnic Mansi mother, but identifies himself as Mansi.

Ruslan Provodnikov said that he used to street-fight as a child, so his dad took him to a boxing trainer when he was ten years old to box.

Ruslan Provodnikov was discovered in Ekaterinburg by his current promoters and managers, who brought him to the US.

Ruslan Provodnikov said he wanted to provide for his son and give his son options in life.

Ruslan Provodnikov said he was having his son grow up in the same place where he did, and that he wanted his son to experience the way he lived.

Ruslan Provodnikov said he wanted his son to play sports and watch less TV and use the internet less.

Ruslan Provodnikov said that he enjoyed eating raw meat such as raw moose liver and raw fish, and he said that he believed that eating meat made him strong.

Ruslan Provodnikov fought several times on ESPN 2's Friday Night Fights and developed a reputation for being an exciting, come forward, pressure fighter.

Ruslan Provodnikov scored a decision win over Demarcus Corley and lost a controversial decision to Mauricio Herrera.

Ruslan Provodnikov lost a close unanimous decision to Timothy Bradley on March 16,2013, for the WBO welterweight championship.

Ruslan Provodnikov was considered an easily beatable opponent for Bradley, who was looking for a confidence booster after beating Manny Pacquiao in what was deemed one of boxing's worst decisions.

Ruslan Provodnikov made him pay tagging him with hard shots in the first round, and staggering him in the second.

Bradley said after the fight that he was concussed by a shot Ruslan Provodnikov hit him with in the second round.

Ruslan Provodnikov defeated Mike Alvarado by 10th-round stoppage on October 19,2013, at the FirstBank Center in Denver, Colorado.

Ruslan Provodnikov was ahead on all three scorecards and had knocked Alvarado down twice in the eighth round.

Ruslan Provodnikov faced little-known American Chris Algieri in the first defense of his title on June 14,2014, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Ruslan Provodnikov connected with a left hook in the first round that knocked Algieri down and formed a large swelling under the challenger's right eye.

Ruslan Provodnikov would go on to lose a controversial split decision.

Ruslan Provodnikov proved to have a granite chin as he took the hardest shots of Matthysse, who is considered to be the hardest puncher in the division and pound for pound one of the hardest punchers in the world.