Ruslan Provodnikov landing against Chris Algieri on Saturday night (Photo: Naoki Fukuda)

By Chris Robinson 

On Saturday night, June 14, Chris Algieri pulled off a big upset in scoring a split-decision victory over former titlist Ruslan Provodnikov.

Algieri was dropped twice in the first round but showed enough composure and activity afterwards for two of the ringside officials to tab him the winner.

Provodnikov was riding a big wave with his stoppage victory over Mike Alvarado this past October but now sees that momentum come to halt.

Shortly after the match, the Russian fighter’s assistant trainer Marvin Somodio took to his Instagram and issued the following along with a photo of the two together.

“Just not our night. Ruslan did his best to put a good fight for the fans. Ruslan is healthy and ready to work more at the gym to give you an exciting fight like what he does. We will bounce back soon. Congrats to Chris Algieri! Thank you for all your support! #teamprovodnikov”

Chris Robinson can be reached at Trimond@aol.com