Sunday 12 June 2016 10:15, UK
John Molina sprang a surprise by out-pointing Ruslan Provodnikov in a hard-fought WBO super-lightweight title eliminator.
The Californian was given a unanimous decision after a close, if not classic, encounter at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York on Saturday night.
Molina (29-6-KO23), with new trainer Shadeed Suluki in his corner, took a deserved victory with scores of 116-112, 117-111 and 115-113, banishing memories of high-profile defeats to Adrien Broner and Lucas Matthysse,
Terence Crawford holds the WBO and WBC titles at 140lbs and could well be the man 'The Gladiator' will face in his second world-title attempt.
Provodnikov (25-5-KO18) will not get the chance to make it third time lucky himself. After the fight, the fans' favourite, known as the 'Siberian Rocky', admitted he knew he had lost and revealed he now lacks the hunger that has seen him feature in some spectacular brawls.
With Provodnikov's non-stop attack, hard punches and open defence and Molina's power and willingness to stand and trade blows, the fight was expected to steal the show.
Those expectations rose further after the crowd fell silent as Muhammad Ali was remembered.
Both men seemed happy to pay their own tributes in the opening rounds with Provodnikov's bludgeoning attacks and a left to the body taking on Molina's smart jab and long-range left.
People don't realise I have my amateur pedigree in the pros and now it's time to go out there and shine and show what I can do. I believe I am getting into my stride now.
For the first six rounds, the American was on the back foot and was often trapped in a corner but to his credit, somehow shifted the momentum back in his favour.
Molina's right always matched Provodnikov's dangerous left, a punch that has caused of Matthysse, Chris Algieri and Timothy Bradley all sorts of problems.
But under the guidance of Suluki, Molina seemed to have more to his game.
His jab and his combinations saw Provodnikov's eyes and face mark up quicker than usual and although there was nothing to choose between the pair as the fight went into the second half, things slowly started to change.
Molina still found himself on the back foot but more often than not, he landed more shots, even at close range where many expected him to struggle.
Provodnikov seemed to throw less punches than usual but, as the fight went into the championship rounds, he did seem to wobble his opponent who had dropped his hands.
Despite this, it was then Molina who went on the offensive, leading the charge to the ropes.
The 11th round saw more of the same and, in the final round, the Siberian seemed to have nothing left as Molina kept him at bay with a sharp jab.
In the end it was Molina closing the action with a big left hook that showed he was not only finishing strongly, but perhaps a little more sensible than before.
"It was a fight that we needed," Molina told Showtime afterwards.
"Provodnikov is a very notable name, a tough gut and I felt his power in there and he kept coming forward.
"People don't realise I have my amateur pedigree in the pros and now it's time to go out there and shine and show what I can do. I believe I am getting into my stride now. I have a new trainer, a new teacher in Shadeed Suluki.
"Everyone knows I can punch but no one actually knows how I can throw punches and Shadeed showed me how to do that."
