Junior welterweight contender Ruslan Provodnikov has been training with five-time “Trainer of the Year” - and soon-to-be 2012 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee - Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, California.

Ruslan, 20-1 with 13 knockouts, is preparing for his January 27 fight against David Torres, 21-1-1 with 13 knockouts, at the Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights, Washington. Scheduled for 10 rounds for the WBO Intercontinental title, the fight will headline ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights.”

Freddie said, “I’ve been working with Ruslan in the gym. I can’t be in his corner that night, but he’s a great kid and a great prospect, and I plan to work with him in the future.”

Ruslan’s co-manager, Vadim Kornilov, said, “Ruslan has a lot of respect for Freddie, and he thinks Freddie will bring a lot of success to the team. Freddie can’t get away to come to the fight – he’s in camp with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. - but he’ll probably send one of his assistants to work Ruslan’s corner that night. Ruslan’s very happy with the way his preparation has been going, and he’s looking forward to working with Freddie again.”

RUSLAN PROVODNIKOV VS DAVID TORRES

HEADLINES FIGHT CARD ON JANUARY 27

AT NORTHERN QUEST CASINO IN AIRWAY HEIGHTS, WASH.;

TELEVISED LIVE ON ESPN

Art Pelullo/Banner Promotions will present a sensational fight card on Friday, January 27, in the Pend O’reille Pavillion at Northern Quest Casino, located at North 100 Hayford Road in Airway Heights, Washington. The main event and co-featured bouts will be televised live ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights.”

In the 10-round main event, junior welterweight contender Ruslan Provodnikov, 19-1 with 13 knockouts, of Berezovo, Russia, will fight David Torres, 21-2-2 with 13 knockouts, of Othello, Washington for the WBO Intercontinental Junior Welterweight title.

Art Pelullo said, “There’s a good reason that Ruslan has become a regular on ESPN - he always gives it everything he’s got in the ring, and always makes exciting fights. We’re very pleased that he’s headlining our first fight card of 2012 and will start off the New Year with a bang!”

Provodnikov, who will be 28 years old on January 20, has an aggressive style and grinds down his opponents with constant pressure. Currently ranked No. 10 by the WBO, he has won two fights in a row since his only loss, and is coming off an eighth-round knockout win against previously undefeated Ivan “Rey” Popoca in his last fight on April 15.

Torres, 33 years old, is an eight-year professional veteran. He gave strong efforts in his last two fights, but was held to 10-round draws both times – against local favorite Mike Stewart in Dover, Delaware, in his last fight on February 25, and against Santos Pakau in Tacoma, Washington, in November, 2010.

The co-featured fight and an exciting lineup of preliminary bouts will be announced.

All bouts are subject to change without notice.

Doors open at 5:00 P.M.

First fight is live on ESPN at 6:00 P.M. (All times Pacific Time)

Ticket prices: $60, $40, $30 and $25. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Northern Quest box office at 509-481-6700 (toll-free 1-877-777-5252), or by contacting TicketsWest at 1-800-325-7328 or www.ticketswest.com. This show is for age 16 and over. All ticket sales are final.

For media credentials, contact Mary Lien at Northern Quest Casino: 509-481-2185 (tel.), 509-481-2163 (fax), This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it (email).

Banner Promotions President Art Pelullo has signed French middleweight champion Julien “Brigadier” Marie Sainte and Montreal super bantamweight prospect Olivier Lontchi to promotional contracts.

Art said, “I’m very pleased to have signed Julien and Olivier, and I’m looking forward to working with them. They’re both managed by Otis and Howard Grant of Grant Brothers Boxing, with whom I have a very good relationship – Otis was my first world champion – and we make a very good team.

“We plan to keep Julien and Olivier busy in 2012, and expect them to have a lot of success in the coming months.”

Otis Grant said, “I have a lot of respect and admiration for Artie and the team at Banner.  We go back a very long way.  I am getting more involved in training and managing this year and I can’t think of anybody else who I would rather have working with these fighters than Artie and Banner.  We have always had a great relationship and hopefully we will continue to have a successful one in the future with Julien and Olivier.” 

The 28 year-old Marie Sainte, from  Aulnay-sous-Bois, Seine-Saint-Denis, France, is currently ranked No. 8 at middleweight by the WBA. Now 31-2 with 23 knockouts, he has won 13 fights in a row, 11 by knockout, which include winning the French middleweight title in May, 2010, and making four successful title defenses.

Lontchi, also 28 years old, is a former Canadian featherweight champion and has held the NABO and NABA titles at 122 pounds. Now 18-2-2 with 8 knockouts, his only two losses have come against top-level opposition - two-time world champion Juan Manuel Lopez, and No. 1 ranked featherweight contender Mikey Garcia.