Ruslan Provodnikov vs. Jose Luis Castillo: Fight Time, Date, Preview, Analysis

Ruslan Provodnikov (23-3, 16 KO) won't have to chase his opponent on Friday night. The slugging Siberian light welterweight will take on over-the-hill Mexican brawler Jose Luis Castillo (66-12-1, 57 KO) in a bout that should feature a lot of punches and blood.

Provodnikov will have mounds of local support in the bout, as it will take place at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.

For all intents and purposes, the fight looks like a one-sided mismatch in favor of the home-standing Provodnikov. Castillo is 40 years old and far removed from the top form that made him one of the sport's most exciting fighters.

To be honest, it would be a shock if he's able to remain competitive for more than a round.

There's no television or live stream available for the fight. Considering the lack of parity here, perhaps that's a good thing. Here's a closer look at each fighter.

The Fight He Wants

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

Provodnikov is a slow-footed plodder who will forever have issues with any fighter capable of employing lateral movement against him. Chris Algieri shook off two early knockdowns against the hard-punching Siberian and outboxed him the rest of the way to take Provodnikov's WBO light welterweight title.

Had Timothy Bradley boxed smarter against Provodnikov back in 2013, most people probably wouldn't even know who the 31-year-old from Beryozovo, Russia, is today. 

Despite being a vastly superior boxer, Bradley wanted to prove his toughness back in March 2013, and he decided to try and trade with Provodnikov. The result was the fight of the year, a much closer scorecard than what should have been and Bradley taking some unnecessary head damage.

Bradley won the fight, but Provodnikov's star rose even in defeat. He parlayed that into a title shot against then-WBO champion Mike Alvarado, a fighter not known for his movement. Provodnikov pounded Alvarado into submission and took his title before Algieri would take it away from him in June.

Algieri's movement, jab and length saw him routinely snap Provodnikov's head back and easily outfight him over the last 10 rounds of the bout. Because Alvarado didn't have the necessary mobility, he was a sitting duck.

Fortunately for Provodnikov, Castillo is not a mover either.

Even in his early years, he was a stand-and-fight guy. Certainly at the age of 40, he's more apt to remain in the pocket. For a fighter like Provodnikov, this is a custom-made opponent handpicked to make him look good in his hometown.

Impossible Mission

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Let's be clear: Barring some sort of miracle, there is no way Castillo can win this fight.

In his day, Castillo was as tough a customer as there was at lightweight. He lost two unanimous decisions to Floyd "Money" Mayweather in 2002, but both were competitive. In fact, the first bout was the only fight I've ever scored against Mayweather.

In 2005, he had back-to-back wars with the late Diego Corrales. The first one is widely considered to be one of the best fights of the last 25 years. Corrales won it dramatically by stopping Castillo in the 10th round.

Castillo would win the rematch decisively by stopping Corrales in the fourth round. 

Nine years later, Castillo is a shell of himself. He's won two fights in a row, but neither of those wins came against opponents on Provodnikov's level. Jose Luis Payan and Felix Bojorquez aren't exactly on track to become household names.

There comes a point where one has to wonder whether this is even a safe fight for Castillo to participate in. Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole strongly feels this matchup is in poor taste. He isn't the only one who has an issue with the fight.

Boxing sportscaster Rich Marotta and UCN's Steve Kim had their say:

Iole took promoter Arthur Pelullo to task for the pairing, writing:

"

These are the kinds of bouts that give boxing a bad name. It's difficult to fathom a credible athletic commission in the U.S. would ever sanction a Provodnikov-Castillo match. Pairing a shot fighter like Castillo against a quality opponent in his prime is a recipe for disaster. If something bad happens to Castillo, it's something Pellulo will have to live with for the rest of his life.

"

 It's hard to disagree with that notion.

Prediction

Provodnikov will win big. Let's just hope Castillo isn't seriously injured.

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.