Lem’s latest: Pelullo wants Bradley, Pacquiao-Rios winner for Provodnikov

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Banner Promotions’ President Artie Pelullo, who guides newly crowned WBO junior welterweight titleholder Ruslan Provodnikov, would like “The Siberian Rocky’s” next fight to be a rematch with WBO welterweight beltholder Tim Bradley or else a matchup with the winner of next month’s 147-pound bout between Manny Pacquiao and Brandon Rios.

Provodnikov (23-2, 16 knockouts) earned his belt by scoring two eighth-round knockdowns on the way to Saturday night’s 10th-round stoppage of Mike Alvarado (34-2, 23 KOs).

In victory, Provodnikov, 29, rebounded from a unanimous decision loss in his 147-pound debut in March against Bradley (31-0, 12 KOs), who rose from a 12th-round knockdown during the first defense of the belt the won by disputed split decision over Manny Pacquiao in June of 2012.

On Oct. 12, Bradley made his second defense by split-decision over Juan Manuel Marquez, who was coming off a sixth-round knockout of Pacquiao last December. Pelullo also said Marquez could be an option for Provodnikov.

“I think that Ruslan is the most exciting fighter in the business. I want to see him fight in another big fight,” said Pelullo. “That could be a Bradley rematch, or it could be the winner of Pacquiao-Rios. There’s a lot of things out there for him.”

Although Pacquiao and Provodnikov are each trained by Freddie Roach, Roach was not in Provodnikov’s corner because he is currently in General Santos City Philippines preparing Pacquiao for Rios on Nov. 24 in Macau.

“I would like to do the winner of Pacquiao-Rios in Russia. Whoever wins that fight, or else, Bradley or Marquez. They’re all great fights for Ruslan right now. I would just have to sit down and talk with Ruslan,” said Pelullo.

“If Ruslan went up in weight, he wouldn’t lose his title. He would just have to pay a sanctioning fee that would let him take a fight above the weight and that’s how you do that. That’s what it’s all about.”

Alvarado had last been in the ring in March, out-boxing Bradley’s managerial stablemate, Rios, to win the rematch of a seventh-round TKO loss from October of last year.

PETER QUILLIN: ‘I’VE GOT MORE KNOCKOUTS IN THE STREET THAN I’VE GOT IN THE RING’

Not long after he began boxing at the age of 15 in his native Grand Rapids, Mich., Peter Quillin said “I just know that I became more of that guy on the street not to mess with.”

“I had resorted to the streets for a lot of different things,” Quillin, now a 30-year-old WBO middleweight titleholder nicknamed “Kid Chocolate, said during a Showtime-produced feature called “I am a Fighter”, “I just know that I’ve got more knockouts in the street than I’ve got in the ring.”

Click here for the Showtime video on Quillin entitled: “I am a Fighter.”

On Oct. 26 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, Quillin (29-0, 21 knockouts) will put his belt on the line against Philadelphia’s Gabriel Rosado (21-6, 13 KOs) on the undercard of Bernard Hopkins’ IBF light heavyweight title defense against Karo Murat on Showtime.

In his past two performances at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Quillin dropped Hassan N’Dam six times on his way to a unanimous decision for the WBO belt last October, and he scored four more knockdowns during a seventh-round stoppage of Fernando Guerrero in his first defense of that title in April.

In June of last year, Quillin dropped former titleholder Winky Wright in the fifth round of an eventual unanimous decision victory.

Quillin said that he moved to New York at the age of 18.

“It was hard. I was in culture shock. I was sleeping on the floor of my friend’s crib on a mattress that I had found in the trash,” said Quillin. “I was in boxing, but it wasn’t paying bills, so I was doing it on my free time. I worked at IHOP. I was a server over there. Then, I became a boxing instructor to people who just wanted to learn how to box.”

Later, Quillin was introduced to hall of fame trainer Freddie Roach, whose colleague, Eric Brown, is now his corner man.

“I got an opportunity to go and train at Freddie Roach’s gym and I can point back and say that that is what got me to be a champion today,” said Quillin.”I just know that I’ve accomplished something with my life, because nobody ever told me that I could be a champion. I was told that I was going to be that criminal.”

Quillin said that his journey has made him who is is.

“I think that boxing is the only sport that really defines life,” said Quillin. “Life is about a struggle, fighting through a struggle, overcoming a struggle, and that’s what a champion is.”

ANDREZEJ FONFARA RETURNS ON DEC. 6.

Polish light heavyweight Andrzej Fonfara (24-2, 14 KOs) will pursue his 15th consecutive victory and his 12th knockout since last suffering defeat when he meets an opponent to be determined at Chicago’s UIC Pavilion on Dec. 6.

A 25-year-old Chicago resident whose winning streak includes a unanimous decision over former titleholder Glen Johnson last July, as well as a ninth-round knockout of former beltholder Gabriel Campillo in his last fight in August, Fonfara returns on the undercard of a main event featuring WBC cruiserweight beltholder Krzysztof Wlodarczyk (48-2-1, 34 KOs) of Poland and ex-titleholder Giacobbe Fragomeni (31-3-2, 12 KOs) of Italy.

Fonfara recently signed with Leon Margules of Warriors’ Boxing, who will co-promote him with Chicago-based Dominic Pesoli of 8 Count Productions.

“I am with Dominic Pesoli and 8 Count Productions. I have always been with 8 Count Productions and I will continue with them for the foreseeable future,” said Fonfara, nicknamed “The Polish Prince,” in a prepared release. “I have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with my team, including Dominic Pesoli as my promoter, and that is who will stay as we make our final push to the world championship.”

Wlodarczyk will make the sixth defense of his belt what will be his third bout with Fragomeni, the man he defeated for the then-vacant title by eighth-round knockout in May of 2010.

A 32-year-old from Warsaw, Poland, Wlodarczyk is 11-0-1 with seven stoppage wins since being dethroned as IBF titleholder by Steve Cunningham in May of 2007. Wlodardzyk had battled to a draw with Fragomeni a year before defeating him for the title, which Fragomeni himself had held and then lost to Zsolt Erdei.

In his last fight in June, Wlodarczyk rose from a third-round knockdown and floored previously unbeaten 2008 Olympic gold medalist Rakhim Chakhkiev in the sixth, seventh and final stanzas of an eighth-round knockout victory.

Fragomeni, 44, has gone 5-0-1, with two knockouts, since his last meeting with Wlodarczyk.

Photos by Esther Lin-Showtime

Lem Satterfield can be reached at [email protected]