John John Molina, JR Defeats Ruslan Provodnikov – Post Fight Wrap Up Report
By Dave “Madcap” Mroczek
Just a few miles down the road from the boxing hall of fame in Canastota, New York, and on the eve of the 2016 induction of memorable greats Hector “Macho” Camacho, Hilario Zapata, and Lupe Pintor, was a very action packed fight card at the Turning Stone Casino and Resort. Well perhaps not a hall of fame matchup, the headline event was an all-out brawl between Russia’s Ruslan Provodnikov and American John Molina, JR.
While both men have showed in their previous body of work that they perhaps were a level below the very top of their weight divisions, they have also showed tremendous grit, heart, determination, and most of all the thudding punches and willingness to come forward that boxing fans crave. There is no retreat in these two warriors and it showed. They faced off in a lunchroom type matchup, a “what if” sort of situation that we seem to be actually finding out about less and less in today’s boxing world. This one however, we received an answer to the question: what if brawlers Provodnikov and Molina, JR. faced each other.
The fight itself was perhaps less salivating that the idea of it had been, though it was action packed from start to finish. Molina, JR., possessing six losses, came to win this one, clearly having a plan of action to take on the hard hitting Ruslan. Provodnikov was looking to make it a street brawl, trying to walk Molina, JR. down and score on the inside. Molina Jr. knew this and attempted to keep Ruslan on the end of his jab, only occasionally allowing him inside and reverting back to his usual interior slugging self.
There was a noticeable absence of defense on display in this one, Molina, JR.’s hand remained near his waist for much of the night, while Provodnikov kept his hands up but this was only a token showing. Both men were able to land at will. This was a fight that could be a judge’s nightmare, since both men had many moments of success, and often traded head-snapping attacks several times in the same round. Molina Jr. out-landed Provodnikov clearly, but Ruslan seemed to land the more telling blows. Any number of scores could have been handed down and deemed appropriate, but the judges chose the man who landed more shots, and controlled the distance better. John Molina Jr. was awarded a unanimous decision after twelve gruelling rounds, as well as mandatory status for the WBO light-welterweight belt.
Where Ruslan Provodnikov can go from here is uncertain. Molina Jr. will certainly use his mandatory status to challenge for the WBO belt. He is a grinder who has shown he belongs in the big fights, but can’t really seem to win them. But he is tough and he is crafty. He came last night with a clear plan and executed it. Ruslan, however, is in sort of a boxing limbo. He was a huge favorite in this fight and while an argument could be made for him taking this decision, he failed to show any class in getting past a man who was beaten as many times as John Molina, JR. has been. While he only has three losses now he has shown himself to be a one dimensional fighter. He has no defense to speak of, His reach seems short and a serious disadvantage to himself, and in addition to this his face seems to bruise and swell badly in his fights, never a good thing when it goes to the judge’s cards. The only world class attribute he appears to have is his thudding power punches, yet he doesn’t seem willing to throw enough of them to overwhelm a solid veteran like Molina, JR.
On the undercard, light middleweight Demetrius Andrade defeated tough tactician Willie Nelson, in an interesting tactical matchup. Both men appeared top condition and gave a good account of themselves. Andrade fought in his usual bobbing and sharpshooting style. Nelson is more of a stand and trade kind of man, but was unable to get into first gear, as Andrade caught him cold in the first, sending him to the canvas hard. Nelson never seemed to recover properly and was hesitant to engage for the rest of the match. Andrade continued moving, and pot-shotting him with his lighting fast strikes. Nelson had no answer to the puzzle, and failed to capitalize on his reach and height advantages. While Nelson landed two or three hard counters to make it interesting, Andrade continued on his path and broke him down systematically. By the tenth Nelson was tired, he met the canvas again in the eleventh, and was knocked down twice in the twelfth, the second of which saw a halt to the bout and Demetrius Andrade was awarded a twelfth round TKO. He immediately called out the Charlo brothers and chastised boxers who refuse to make the big fights. We shall see if he lives up to his words.
Also on this undercard in lightweight action, Dejan “Dynamite” Zlaticanin knocked out Franklin “El Matador” Mamani in a matchup for the WBC Lightweight title. Mamani tried to work his way inside, but to no avail. Zlaticanin was too fast, and hit too hard. This is one to watch, fight fans, for a man so small he possesses incredible power, and the speed to deliver it. He had Mamani hurt in every round and got him out of there decisively in the third. Everyone in the building knew the fight was over as soon as the punch landed.
Even deeper on the undercard, Middleweight Willie Monroe, JR., best known for his loss to Gennady “GGG” Golovkin last year, was also in action. Monroe defeated John Thompson in a tactical fight. Thompson tried to press the action with his jabs and one-twos but Monroe was too crafty a counterpuncher. With a scorecard lead after having Thompson down three times in the early going, Monroe coasted to a unanimous decision by staying on the outside and only engaged to land the occasional quick punch or counter.
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