Boxing News 2014: Ruslan Provodnikov Looms as Opponent of Manny Pacquiao in November Bout
Top Rank boss Bob Arum named on Tuesday the top 3 boxers whom eight-division title holder Manny Pacquiao would battle on Nov 8 at the Cotai Arena in Macau.
First on the list is Mexican boxer Juan Manuel Marquez, followed by Russian Ruslan Provodnikov and a boxer from Golden Boy Promotions.
Fresh from his victory against Mike Alvarado, Marquez has not committed to a fifth match against Pacquiao, but Arum is slated to meet with Marquez whom he invited to Macau next week to watch the fight on Sunday between Filipino boxer Nonito Donaire Jr and Simpiwe Vetyeka.
If Marquez says no, the next option is Provodnikov who has a bout on HBO versus Chris Algieri when he defends his WBO light-welterweight title. Vadim Komilov, Provodnikov's manager, confirmed to Worldboxingnews that the bout against Pacquiao has high chances of happening.
The Russian boxer told WBN, "I'm looking forward to a big fight in the fall. Whomever it is, I want to get one of the top opponents in the 140-147 weight class."
From Golden Boy, the possible match is British boxer Amir Khan.
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