The Siberian Rocky is the boxing betting favorite to defeat John Molina, Jr. at the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York on Saturday, June 11th.
J Molina +700
R Provodnikov -1100
The fight will not be for a world championship, though both boxers know what it’s like to wear gold around their waists. The American has been a WBO–NABO and WBC USNBC lightweight champion, while the Russian has been a WBO junior welterweight champion. No matter, though; as Brock Lesnar recently put it, titles don’t pay the bills – money does, like the kind of money you can make when you bet on boxing. Of course, if this bout had taken place in the 80s heyday of the Cold War, then it would be about a lot more than just money – there would be so much more at stake, as if our freedom’s up against the ropes. Is it East versus West, or man against man? Can any nation stand alone?
So why is Provodnikov the boxing betting favorite? Let’s have a look at his numbers. The 32 year old stands at 5’ 6” and has a 66-inch reach. His stance is orthodox – his boxing stance, that is, though as a Mansi he might or might not practice Russian Orthodoxy (it’s either that or shamanism). He has won 25 fights – 18 by knockout – and lost 4. Provodnikov won his first 17 fights in a row. After his first lost to Mauricio Herrera, he had a much shorter, five-fight winning streak until 2013, but has been hit-and-miss ever since. His last bout was a TKO win over Jesus Alvarez Rodriguez on November 7th, 2015. The Russian is a pressure fighter with outstanding punching power, stamina (though his body says stop, his spirit cries – never!), and an iron chin.
As for Molina, the 33 year old is 5’ 11” tall, has a reach of 73 inches, his boxing stance is also orthodox, and his records stands at 28-6. Two-and-twenty of his wins have been via KO. The native of Covina, California won his first 18 consecutive fights before losing to Martin Honorio in 2009. Molina snapped a three-fight losing striking by beating Jorge Romero by TKO on November 28th, 2015 – and it’s a good thing he did, because a fourth loss in a row wouldn’t have boded well for his boxing betting chances against Provodnikov. According to the Russian’s trainer Joel Diaz, it’s going to be a tough fight because Molina has the height the reach. Diaz, thinks it’s a 50-50 fight, so people who bet on boxing, make sure to take note of that.