Why Provodnikov-Matthysse could be the best fight this year

His workout had ended at least a half hour before, but Ruslan Provodnikov was pacing around the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, the rivulets of sweat rolling down his face a testament to the effort he'd given in his training.

He greeted a familiar face with a grin and a bow, then walked over to a heavy bag and belted it. It sounded like an explosion.

It caught the attention of his trainer, Freddie Roach, who, startled, glanced in the direction of the sound.

"Oh, it's Ruslan," Roach said with a chuckle. "He sure can punch."

That he can. And so, too, can Lucas Matthysse, whom he'll face Saturday in a highly anticipated catch-weight fight that will be the main event of an HBO broadcast that opens with 2014 Boxing Writers Association of America Fighter of the Year Terence "Bud" Crawford.

Provodnikov-Matthysse is not for a title. There isn't anything obvious on the line.

It's simply a can't-miss fight pitting two of the most powerful men in boxing against one another.

"It's the greatest match up in the world," Roach said. "You've got two guys who love to fight, two guys who are great punchers. It's going to be a very exciting fight, that's for sure, and it's the best fight and the best is what we need.

"This is what's going on in boxing right now and that's why everything is really happening in boxing bigger than ever at this point because of fights like this."

Matthysse told Yahoo Sports he wanted to fight Provodnikov because of the respect he has for him. Both men have been frustrated frequently in the past by opponents who were unwilling to engage and would use their legs to keep themselves out of danger.

Matthysse doesn't have to worry about that with Provodnikov. And Provodnikov knows he doesn't have to worry about that with Matthysse.

It's going to be bombs away, man-to-man, power-against-power, Matthysse said.

"It's a very dangerous fight, of course," Matthysse said. "Both of us hit extremely hard and we are the kind of fighters who love to get in and fight. None of this [expletive]. We're fighters who come to fight? Do you know what I mean?

"I am confident I can knock Ruslan out. I don't say that [to criticize him], but I know how hard I hit and what happens when I hit someone the right way."

Great punching power goes both ways, and every heavy puncher knows he has to be able to take it as well as dish it out. Matthysse has been down three times in his last three fights, including twice against John Molina and once against Danny Garcia.

Given how hard Provodnikov hits, Matthysse won't be able to simply throw caution to the wind and stand in the pocket and trade, though he defiantly insisted he won't go down on Saturday.

But Provodnikov, who engaged in a spectacular 2013 battle with Timothy Bradley, suggested he's willing to do just that. He served a long time as Manny Pacquiao's sparring partner, and often found himself in the midst of crazy slugfests. He's never been off his feet in a fight, his manager, Vadim Kornilov, said.

He expects a repeat of that against Matthysse.

"Looking at his record, he seems to be one of the biggest punchers of this decade, you know?" Provodnikov said. "He's probably one of the biggest punchers right now. Does it bother me? Not at all. It only makes me more excited because I know that this is going to be a real fight, and I know that either I take him or he takes me. And it's going to be toe-to-toe, it's going to be a real fight. For me that's only a positive."

It's only a positive and a continuation of boxing's big year for this fight to get made. It's the kind of old-fashioned fight-in-a-phone booth that turned so many people on to the sport, but which is far too rare these days.

Coming only a few days after the 30th anniversary of the epic battle in Las Vegas between Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns, the Provodnikov-Matthysse fight could be the first in a series of bouts between them.

If Saturday's bout turns out like all those involved expect, it would not be a shock to see them meet against at least once more and maybe several more times in the future.

Matthysse said that would be fine with him.

"Every fight is important, but these kinds of fights, where everyone is interested and talking and there is a lot of importance, that's the kind of fight I want to be in," Matthysse said.

And that's the kind we all want to see.