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Bakersfield's Gordon pitted against unbeaten Russian in ESPN2's 'Friday Night Fights'

| Thursday, May 15 2008 10:35 PM

Last Updated: Thursday, May 15 2008 10:40 PM

Brian Gordon of Bakersfield puts his unbeaten professional boxing record on the line tonight in Las Vegas in a scheduled six-round light welterweight bout against unbeaten Russian Ruslan Provodnikov.

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The bout is scheduled to be the first on ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" telecast, which starts at 6 p.m. The main event on the card is a light heavyweight bout between former heavyweight champion Chris Byrd and Shaun George.

Gordon, 28, trained by Bakersfield Police Activities League Sports Director Mike Dallas, is 4-0 with four knockouts. Originally from Barstow, Gordon began his professional career last year after two tours of duty in Iraq. In 21 amateur fights, Gordon posted an 18-3 record.

Six of the seven victories posted by Provodnikov (7-0) were knockouts.

"You want to get good fights to get the good experience," Gordon said about putting his unbeaten record on the line so early in his career against such a tough opponent. "Basically, I have to catch up with time. I just turned 28 and have been denied fights since my first pro fight, so I have to take them as they come along. This is a perfect opportunity for me to showcase what I've got."

Gordon last fought and won on Feb. 21, a sixth-round knockout of Michaelangelo Lynks at the Mariott Hotel in Irvine. Provodnikov is coming off a first-round knockout of journeyman Jose Angel Roman on March 7.

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