By Ernest Gabion

Trainer Freddie Roach is very proud of his fighter, Ruslan Provodnikov (22-2, 15KOs), for his near upset victory over WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley (30-0, 12KOs) on Saturday night at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California. Provodnikov came close to stopping Bradley in a few rounds, and dropped the champion near the end of the twelfth.

When asked about Provodnikov's future, Roach said his boxer is potentially in the mix to face the winner of the Brandon Rios vs. Mike Alvarado rematch, which takes place on March 30th at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Roach said there are several other possibilities for Provodnikov, but one option he wasn't currently thinking about was a rematch with Bradley. Roach told BoxingScene.com that Provodnikov would remain at the welterweight limit of 147-pounds.