Former WBO junior welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov did not dispute the ruling of the the three judges who favored his opponent John Molina with a unanimous decision in a non-title fight Saturday night at Turning Stone Resort in Verona, New York.
Provodnikov, who scored a TKO win over Jesus Alvarez Rodriguez in Monte Carlo last year had only himself to blame for his anemic performance saying he didn’t feel the hungriness to win. He also disputed that his loss was due to his longer layoff since his victory over Rodriguez. Fight fans who are used to seeing an action fight similar to his clash with Lucas Matthysse in April 2015 which was nominated for The Ring magazine 2015 Fight of the Year, thought he wasn’t the same fighter when he faced Molina who was fresh off TKO win against Jorge Romero last year. ?Today the decision was the right one,? Provnikov said. ?Molina won the fight ? he was better tonight. Everything was scored the way it should have been. Provodnikov admitted that he knew what Molina brought with him on fight night yet he failed to execute the right moves to counter and neutralize his continuing assault. ?We expected that he was going to box, he was going to move. We expected him to do that. It wasn?t my night. Maybe I don?t have the same hungriness as before. I?m not going to make excuses, but it was hard for me to find my groove tonight,” he said. ?I don?t think it?s that (the layoff). There are no excuses. I lost the fight tonight. I couldn?t find the hungriness. I have to sit down and think of why that happened. I?m sorry if I disappointed,? Provodnikov added. Provodnikov could have earned a rematch against Timothy Bradley if he won over Molina. That could have been a lucrative fight for Provodnicov knowing that he made a very impressive showing against Bradley in their first encounter. In March 2013, Bradley and Provonikov fought toe-to-toe to the delight of thousands of fans at the Home Depot Center, Carson, California. The fight won the ESPN “Fight of the Year” award. Provodnikov needed a knockout to win as he answered the bell in the last round, Later in the round he staggered Bradley with a power left followed by a right and a flurry of punches, sending Bradley to the canvas with just about 15 seconds left in the fight. It looked like a won fight for Provodnikov as Bradley was visibly hurt but his survival instinct was one of a kind and he was saved by the bell in the last round for a win on points. Read more: Since losing to Bradley in 2013, Provodnikov failed to score straight wins as he tried to bounce back from his loss. The most that he did was to score an alternate win-loss in his last six fights. While the 32-year-old Russian brawler is rethinking his next move following his loss to Molina, it would be prudent for him to continue with his career because aside from being relatively young, boxing fans enjoy his fighting style which makes him marketable from promoters’ point of view.
