Early on, it looked like it wouldn't go past three.
For two rounds, Lucas Matthysse beat the tar out of Ruslan Provodnikov last night (Sat., April 18, 2015) inside Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Verona, New York. The iron-tough Russian ate combination after combination from a man who has at least knocked down 38 of 39 opponents.
Matthysse simply could not miss, particularly with some vicious uppercuts that exploited the Russian's lack of lateral head movement.
In the next two, though, Provodnikov's (24-4, 17 KO) unstoppable advance started to pay dividends. Targeting the body and head with his trademark hooks and overhand rights, "Siberian Rocky" fought through a headbutt-induced cut and punch-induced swelling to land his fair share of heavy shots.