What a difference big defense makes

THANKS mainly to tall, crafty Chris Algieri, the proposed Manny Pacquiao-Ruslan Provodnikov bout is not likely to happen in the immediate future.

It came very late for Filipino boxing fans, but after they showed Sunday Algieri’s masterful dethronement of Provodnikov, there was a sigh of relief that the crude Russian former WBO light welterweight champion had been properly exposed.

Reverred as the Siberian Rocky for which his President had supposedly vowed to build a national boxing stadium following his conquest of Mike Alvarado in Denver for the WBO 140-pound crown, Provodnikov, pardon this, got unmasked as a wide-open plodder.

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Algieri did pick himself up twice from the canvas in the first round.

But after he had reassembled his science and skills, he turned the bout into a boxing lesson, while also demonstrating that defense can indeed win fights, a world championship at that.

The bout was awarded to Algieri via split decision. But after what had been shown Sunday on Philippine television, it would appear that the third judge who gave the bout to Provodnikov was scoring a totally different bout.

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“Yes, he did something, he picked himself up twice,” trainer Roach sneered (at Algieri) in a postfight interview.

Algieri, tall and relatively frail, has commendable guts and talent.

But Provodnikov, leaving what very little he knows about defense back in his Siberian hometown, growled and groaned like a caveman wielding a primitive club at crucial points in the championship.

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In fact, Provodnikov, with awful lack of defense, did succeed in making the previously unheralded Algieri loom extra special.

With his instant fame, Algieri had immediately been lined up among prospective foes of Manny Pacquiao in the Pacman’s formally calendared bout in Macau next November.

However, Roach has been quoted as saying he would like his rock-hard Russian ward Provodnikov to first be able to get back at Algieri, using a different technique.

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Roach did not specify if he would finally make Provodnikov throw away his caveman club and show up with the skimpy armor he had obviously left in his hometown the last time out.

Here’s hoping Roach has finally realized that solid defense coupled with sharp punching are truly the more reliable weapons inside the boxing ring.