No, a fight between Ruslan Provodnikov and John Molina won't be for a world title or anything like that, but it is a style match-up that should be easy on the eyes for even causal fans. Both fighters are more or less come-forward brawlers known for getting into wars - and this should really be no different, even if one or both are getting a bit long in the tooth.
So in anticipation of what should be a fun fight, our colleagues at FightHub caught up with Provodnikov's trainer Joel Diaz to get his take on the bout. Here's what he had to say...
Diaz on his impression of the fight:
"I think it's gonna be a great fight, I just think it's gonna be one of the best fights this year because these two guys bring some action. Their styles is gonna be all action from the beginning, and I think it's a great fight for Ruslan besides other opponents that they were offering...Ruslan is a come-forward fighter and he's there to make it a war from the beginning, and Molina's the same way.
"I know it's gonna be a tough fight because Molina has reach, has the height, but we're gonna work on that as soon as he gets to camp. We're gonna get here and start from the beginning, start programming him, I'm gonna get him some tall sparring partners that his similar styles to John Molina."
On what other opponents were offered to Provodnikov:
"Oh man, they offered, if I'm not mistaken, Sammy Vasquez, they offered Terence Crawford. There was a time where Miguel Cotto was another one out there to fight. That would've been a good fight as well.
"I really don't know [why those fights didn't happen], the manager would send me messages and say 'hey, what do you think about this opponent?' and I would give him my opinion...and when he finally came to me and said John Molina I said 'perfect!' I like John Molina because he comes. It's a 50-50 fight because John Molina hits hard, you saw that when he fought Matthysse, he's there. He's there to fight. He's strong, he comes, and at the same time it gives Ruslan the edge for exchanging punches and Ruslan has a devastating punch and that's what we wanna see - we wanna see some action. And in that fight I know it's gonna be a knockout."
On what improvements he's seen in Provodnikov's game and what he would like him to work on:
"Well since he got here I noticed that Ruslan was just a headhunter. He hardly works the body. I want him to work more on the body from the beginning because he has the power. And a little more head movement - there's really not an impressive way to change a fighter like Ruslan because Ruslan is the type of fighter that once the bell rings he just wants to go over there and knock you out.
"But I want to keep reminding him to move his head a little more. Defense, use a little more defense, more head movement. Apply the pressure, work the body more -- something that he hardly does -- and that's one of the main things I want him to learn. Hit the body more and then when you break him to the body go to the head. But as well, when he's moving forward, he walks in too straight, too tall. I want him to lower down, move his head side to side, and don't be just a one-dimensional fighter."
On if he's happy with the changes Provodnikov has made thus far:
"You know, we only had one fight together. And he told me 'when that bell rang I wanted to go on my own, but I wanted to practice the things we've been working together.' And I saw the difference. One of the biggest problems with Ruslan is he bruises easy, he cuts easy, and the less he gets hit the better. Because the more he gets hit the more bruises he's gonna have, the more cuts he's gonna have, and the more work we're gonna have in the corner."