New York’s Own Algieri Gets WBO Title Shot in Brooklyn Against Provodnikov

The undefeated Algieri of Huntington, N.Y., will face WBO junior welterweight champion Ruslan Provodnikov June 14 at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. The bout will air live on HBO’s “Boxing After Dark.”

Algieri, 19-0 with eight knockouts, faces a stiff challenge in the highly regarded Freddie Roach product.

“Ruslan is a great champion and a feared and avoided guy in the junior welterweight division, which is exactly why I am eager for the chance to fight him,” stated Algieri.

Provodnikov, 23-2 (16 KOs), of Berezovo, Siberia, Russia, had an incredible 2013 in the ring. His clash against Timothy Bradley won “Fight of the Year” honors from the Boxing Writers Association of America. Also, the hard-hitting Russian stopped Mike Alvarado with a vicious 10th round assault in October to claim the WBO junior welterweight crown.

“I know a lot of my fans from Russia will be flying in to see this great event,” said Provodnikov. “I also hope that my fans from the United States, including the great Russian community in Brooklyn, will be there to support me.”

In the co-main event, WBO junior middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade (20-0: 13 KOs) will put his title on the line against No. 1 contender Brian Rose (25-1-1: 7 KOs).

Mike Fridley is the Managing Editor of Sherdog.com. Follow him on Twitter: @mikefridley