Ruslan Provodnikov vs. Jose Luis Castillo: Winner, Scorecard and Analysis

Ruslan Provodnikov (24-3, 17 KO) easily defeated veteran Jose Luis Castillo (66-13-1, 57 KO) by technical knockout in the fifth round of their light welterweight bout in Moscow's Luzhniki Arena on Friday.

Castillo was given little chance coming into the fight and served more as a punching bag for Provodnikov, who needed an impressive win to fight his way back into contention following his loss against Chris Algieri earlier this year.

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Saturday's event was seen by many pundits as nothing more than a show to put Provodnikov back on the map, and the Russian fighter was widely criticised for taking the fight in the first place.

With Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke also on the card, Knockout Nation's Andreas Hale didn't hold back:

Neither did ESPN's Dan Rafael, who feared for Castillo's safety:

The 4-0-year-old showed little in terms of hand speed or footwork in the opening round, as Provodnikov pushed the action. Never a defensive fighter, Castillo was forced into the corners and against the ropes, desperately trying to connect with the uppercut.

A big left hook seemed to momentarily stun him, but the Mexican survived the first round comfortably.

Castillo became more active in the second, changing up the rhythm with a few jabs and overhand rights. Provodnikov remained the aggressor, however, and Castillo's legs appeared to buckle momentarily after taking a strong jab.

As Queensberry Rules' Patrick Connor observed, Provodnikov appeared to be holding back a bit:

The Russian finally starting pressing the action in the third, and several combinations caught Castillo high. Provodnikov couldn't land the bib bombs, however, and El Temible once again made it out of the round without taking too much heavy damage.

Castillo was hardly moving his feet by the time the fourth round started, and barring a single exchange where the two nearly clashed heads, the veteran landed with virtually nothing. Bad Left Hook's Scott wasn't enjoying the fight at all:

A massive left hook rocked Castillo in the fifth, and Provodnikov finally stepped in and unleashed a flurry of punches to the body. A second flurry to the head dropped Castillo for the first time, and the veteran needed nearly the whole count to get to his feet.

With one minute left in the round, there was nowhere to go. Castillo retreated into the corner and received another flurry of devastating shots to the body, forcing the referee to step in and stop the fight before more damage was done.

Dan Rafael shared his impressions of the final round:

The 30-year-old Provodnikov fought a more patient fight than fans perhaps would have expected, as it was a surprise to see Castillo survive beyond the opening two rounds.

The Russian's power and speed eventually showed, however, as did Castillo's age, who deserves a lot of credit for making it to the fifth round. Total FM's Philip was hardly impressed with the bout, however:

From the opening bell it became abundantly clear the pundits had been right all along: Castillo shouldn't have been in the ring with Provodnikov, and the Russian shouldn't have agreed to the fight.

He didn't gain anything on Friday, other than a host of critics who will remind him Ricky Hatton needed only four rounds to knock out Castillo back in 2007, when he was still considered a top fighter and not a shot boxer looking for a final payday.

Castillo didn't get hurt too badly on Friday, and Provodnikov did little to convince he's worthy of another title shot. Those are just about the only lessons we can take from this Moscow-mismatch.

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