Hall of Fame trainer Nacho Beristain insisted that Juan Manuel Marquez has no interest in facing Ruslan Provodnikov despite the numerous challenges thrown by the Russian champion.
Provodnikov has been calling out Marquez for the past few months, saying that he is the best available option at this point. The reigning WBO welterweight junior welterweight champion said that if Marquez decides to snub his latest challenge, it only means one thing: the veteran Mexican is afraid of him.
In an interview with BoxingScene, Beristain shrugged off Provodnikov's statement, saying that Marquez has no reason to be afraid of the 30-year-old Russian.
The veteran trainer said that Provodnikov is a good fighter as proven by his performance during his brutal encounter with Timothy Bradley last year and his win against Mike Alvarado late last year.
However, Beristain sees no reason to allow Marquez to face Provodnikov, saying that the Beryozovo native is not a good pay-per-view drawer and has no ability to sell a lot of tickets.
"Provodnikov is just looking for a way to latch on to someone to make a few dollars, because currently he can't sell. He's in the right in doing so, because at one time we did the same thing, going around and challenging everyone, but if some promoter is interested they are going to have to pay Juan very well," Beristain said.
Vadim Kornilov, the manager of Provodnikov, fired back at Beristain in a separate interview with BoxingScene. Kornilov said that his fighter can bring a lot on the table with his all-out fighting style, which he displayed during his epic encounter with Bradley last year.
Kornilov also added that the excitement Provodnikov can bring is enough to draw a lot of PPV buys, saying that a Marquez-Provodnikov showdown can even surpass the numbers generated by the 40-year-old Mexican's previous bout against Bradley in October last year.
"It's what people are willing to pay money for," Kornilov said on the potential showdown between Marquez and Provodnikov. "The promoters have to come together and try to figure out an enticing deal for Marquez and then I'm pretty sure we'll have a fight. Marquez is a great warrior. He has proved that throughout his career and deep inside I'm sure he wants the challenge because he always took challenges in fighting only the best."
Marquez recently indicated that he is planning to fight two more times before hanging up his gloves. One of the fights that he wants is a rematch with Bradley and the other one could be a fifth showdown with his long-time nemesis Manny Pacquiao.
