They rearrange features and have their features rearranged in turn. They search and destroy. They want to injure. They want to maim. They want to win?
Saturday night at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York, John Molina Jr. (29-6, 23 KOs), the underdog from Covina, California, won a unanimous decision by outboxing Ruslan Provodnikov (25-5, 18 KOs), from Beryozovo, Russia, to win the WBO super lightweight title eliminator.
The final scores were 116-112 (Don Ackerman), 117-111 (John McKaie), and 115-113 (Glen Feldman).
Based on their past performances, everyone expected World War Z. The blood and guts propensities of these fighters are their stock in trade. They rearrange features and have their features rearranged in turn. They search and destroy. They want to injure. They want to maim. They want to win.
Molina has in some ways been a mirror image of Provodnikov. They both leave nothing in the ring. They are not sweet scientists, but they are as tough as they come.
Molina fought like a man reborn. He had lost three of his last five fights, to Lucas Matthysse, Humberto Soto, and Adrien Broner, and was a 7 to 1 underdog coming in. But by fighting smart, by using his height and reach, by dictating the pace and controlling the action, Molina revealed a special boxing intelligence that he?d kept secret until now. Provodnikov may have been a willing target, but Molina landed 152 of the 643 jabs he threw. He also landed a slew of right hands, combinations, uppercuts, and looping rights and lefts to the body.
Molina didn?t fight like Chris Algieri, who won a split decision and Provodnikov?s WBO title in 2014 by ?running? like a rabbit. That?s not Molina?s style. He asserted himself. He stood his ground and fought. But he used his head and legs as well as his fists to outclass the former champion.
Provodnikov has been in some great fights but his liabilities are a given. He has now lost four of his last seven fights. Timothy Bradley, Chris Algieri, and Lucas Matthysse have wins over Provodnikov.
And now so does John Molina Jr.
?We knew we had to outwork Provodnikov,? said Molina after the fight. ?This was a fight that I needed and I felt his punching power ?Everyone forgets that my amateur career basically came as a pro. You can say I learned with each fight. I?m still learning. I needed this fight. Ruslan is a tough, tough fighter and a big name. He kept moving forward. I had to change some things.
?I have a new trainer, Shadeed Suluki, and we worked on some new things, which you saw tonight with the jab. I think the jab was always there. I just had to use it. I came into this feeling really strong and I knew I had to outwork Ruslan. I felt really good. I knew I won this fight. I knew I did well. I stuck to what we planned.?
It begins and ends with the jab.
?He realized I could use the jab,? Molina added. ?The guy is a very strong fighter. I hit him with some hard shots, and he just smiled at me. Why would I give him any advantage and go in there? There was a headbutt, but nothing I haven?t experienced before. It was a fight. In exchanges, I had to let him know I would fight him. Then I got back on the outside and utilized my jab. A fighter knows in that ring if he won or lost. I was ready and prepared well for this fight, so I wasn?t scared they?d take it away from me.?
Provodnikov was disappointed at the loss but made no excuses.
?I thought he might box and move,? said Provodnikov. ?Maybe I let other things get involved, I don?t know. Molina was the better man tonight. I just didn?t feel right. Maybe the hunger wasn?t there like it usually is. There are no excuses. I have to think about my future.?
