Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach gets a chance to avenge Manny Pacquiao?s undeserved loss to Timothy Bradley when he works Russian challenger Ruslan Provodnikov?s corner in a fight against the unbeaten WBO welterweight champion known as ?Desert Storm? at the Home Depot Center in Carson City, near Los Angeles, on March 16.
Roach?s Filipino assistant Marvin Somodio told The Star yesterday he?s confident Provodnikov will dethrone Bradley. ?I think Ruslan can handle Bradley,? said Somodio. ?Ruslan is strong and durable. Ruslan learned a lot from sparring with Manny last year. Manny got him to work on his speed and stamina. Freddie is Ruslan?s chief trainer and I?m helping out whenever Freddie asks me to.?
Somodio said he?s not sure who will comprise the team working Provodnikov?s corner for the Bradley fight. ?I still don?t know who will join Freddie in Ruslan?s corner,? he continued. ?It?s possible that one of Freddie?s fighters will be scheduled about the same time so I might be assigned to another fight. Freddie knows best and I?ll follow whatever he assigns me to do.?
Somodio joined Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles last year. He was Brian Viloria?s chief second when the WBO flyweight titleholder stopped Hernan (Tyson) Marquez to unify the WBO/WBA crowns in Los Angeles last November. Somodio spent the Christmas holidays here and was recalled by Roach a week early from home leave to report for work at Wild Card. Roach assigned Somodio to train Frankie (Pitbull) Gomez for his fight against Lanard Lane in Las Vegas last Feb. 2.
?Pitbull was impressive in his fight,? said Somodio. ?It went the distance and I think Pitbull won every round.? Two of the three judges agreed with Somodio. Duane Ford and Jerry Roth both saw it 100-90 for Gomez while Burt Clements had it 98-92, also for the Los Angeles welterweight who raised his record to 15-0, with 11 KOs. Somodio said it was a learning experience for Gomez. ?It?s good that the fight went 10 rounds so Pitbull got to experience what it?s like to go the distance,? he continued. ?It tested his durability and prepared him for tougher fights in the future.?
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Somodio said while he?s assisting Roach in working with several fighters, his main focus is Viloria who stakes his WBO/WBA titles against Mexico?s Juan Francisco Estrada in Macau on April 6. Estrada, 22, is 10 years younger than Viloria and claimed Filipino Ardin Diale?s scalp via a second round knockout with a body shot last year. Estrada?s record is 22-2, with 18 KOs, compared to Viloria?s 32-3, with 19 KOs. Estrada is coming off a loss on points to Nicaragua?s Roman Gonzalez in a bid for the WBA lightflyweight title.
?I?m working with Brian at the moment,? said Somodio. ?We started three weeks ago and I?ll be joining him in Macau.?
Somodio said Roach has his hands full at Wild Card as more and more fighters, celebrities and workout enthusiasts are queuing for his services. ?Freddie?s fine,? said Somodio. ?He?s super busy training so many fighters. You can?t imagine how many people want to be trained by Freddie.?
Somodio said English lightmiddleweight Liam Vaughn, Russian lightwelterweight Denis Shafikov and Nigerian cruiserweight Lateef Kayode are among the fighters working with Roach. Vaughn, 22, is from Liverpool and has a 6-1 record, with 1 KO. Shafikov, 27, has a 31-0-1 record, with 17 KOs. His resume lists appearances in Belarus, Russia, Finland, Latvia, Scotland and Mexico. Kayode, 29, has an 18-0 record, with 14 KOs and a no-decision last June, he battled IBO cruiserweight champion Antonio Tarver to a split 12-round draw that was later ruled a no-decision after the 6-2 Florida southpaw, known as the Magic Man, tested positive for anabolic steroids.
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Bradley was rumored to be under consideration as Pacquiao?s next opponent particularly as the outcome of their fight was controversial. Bradley wrested the WBO 147-pound crown from Pacquiao on a highly disputed split decision last June. In an unprecedented move to appease a disgruntled public, the WBO assembled an independent cast of five judges to review the fight on tape and the panel agreed unanimously that Pacquiao should?ve won the decision. The review only served to downgrade Bradley?s reputation.
Bradley hasn?t fought since the Pacquiao bout and that?s because he?s just not marketable. His boring style turns off the fans. But the harsh reality is he holds the WBO welterweight belt and unless someone takes it away from him or he relinquishes it or he loses the title on a technicality (like failing to make a defense within the prescribed period), Bradley will continue to occupy the throne. It would?ve been right and just for Pacquiao to regain the title from Bradley in a rematch. Now, Pacquiao will have to settle for Roach gaining a measure of revenge through Provodnikov.
Bradley has fought only twice in Las Vegas and his limited drawing power has led Top Rank to schedule his first defense at the Home Depot Center. Provodnikov, who is 29 like Bradley, boasts a 22-1 record, with 15 KOs. His only loss was a decision to Mauricio Herrera in 2011. The Russian has won his last five fights, including a decision over veteran DeMarcus Corley.
