Gagawin ni dating WBO junior welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov ang lahat para masuportahan ang kaibigan at stablemate sa Wildcard Gym na si eight-division world titlist Manny Pacquiao upang talunin nito si WBC at WBC welterweight titlist Floyd Mayweather Jr. sa Mayo 2 sa Las Vegas, Nevada.
Bagamat naniniwala si Provodnikov na hindi na uhaw sa tagumpay si Pacquiao may limang taon na ang nakararaan ay ramdam ng Russian na taglay pa rin ng Pilipino ang sobrang bilis para manalo sa Amerikano.
“Maybe Manny is a little bit older, maybe he is not as hungry as he was before but I think he still has the speed and agility,” sinabi ni Provodnikov sa On The Ropes Boxing Radio.
“He still has a lot of the qualities he’s had before, and that’s why I think this is going to be a great fight, comparable to Ali-Frazier. It’s going to be one of those great fights no matter what.”
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Iginiit ni Provodnikov na gagawin ni Pacquiao ang lahat para manalo kaya titiyakin niyang mapapanood sa ringside ang pinakahihintay na laban.
“I think Manny is going to give it all in this fight and that’s what it’s going to make it a real exciting fight,” dagdag ni Provodnikov. “I’ll try to make sure that I’m actually present at the fight to root for Manny. It’s one of those fights where you got to say that I was there.”
Naniniwala naman si Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach na may talo ang alaga niyang si Pacquiao kung naganap ang laban may limang taon na ang nakararaan.
Para kay Roach, masyado nang mabagal si Mayweather kaya mapatutulog ito ng Pilipino sa huling bahagi ng sagupaan.
“Five years ago, maybe Floyd would’ve beaten Manny,” sabi ni Roach sa BoxingScene.com. “[But] Manny has more heart right now. You really don’t realize just how fast Manny is or how hard he hits until you actually get hit by him.”
