RUSLAN PROVODNIKOV vs EMANUEL AUGUSTUS

Unbeaten Russian powerhouse Ruslan Provodnikov returns to Friday Night Fights in a junior welter 10-rounder against colourful veteran Emanuel Augustus, and I am anticipating a highly entertaining bout.

We all know that Augustus is a better fighter than his record indicates, but at 35 he might be showing wear and tear. In his last fight, in Australia, Augustus was stopped in the ninth round by unbeaten Nigerian prospect Wale Omotoso, but he was boxing a tall, strong, talented opponent who was a full weight class bigger.

The sportsbooks probably won’t offer a line on this fight, but Provodnikov clearly has to be favoured. He is the younger, stronger man and the fighter with a future. Still, Augustus has great experience against a high standard of opponent, and I would think that he can still be effective in flashes although his clowning won’t bother Provodnikov, who just gets stuck in and fights.

I am not certain if Augustus should be written off just yet, based on a defeat against a bigger man, but he is coming into Friday’s bout as a substitute. The Russian fighter is a bit too easy to hit for my liking but he is hard working and tenacious, and I don’t think that Augustus will be able to score consistently enough to offset Provodnikov’s pressure. I’m taking Provodnikov to hammer out a win, possibly by decision although a stoppage in about nine rounds wouldn’t surprise me — it all depends how much the fight in Australia took out of Augustus.