By Ryan Burton

Last week krikya360.com caught up with Artie Pellulo of Banner Promotions to get his thoughts on the April 18th clash between Lucas Matthysse and Ruslan Provodnikov.  Matthysse was hurt late in the fight but was able to hold on to win a close decision in a sure fire Fight of the Year candidate.

Pellulo called for a rematch immediately after the fight and feels that the fight may have played out differently if Provodnikov hadn't been cut by an accident headbutt early in the fight.

"I thought it was a great fight.  I thought that we had at least a draw. I also think that we should have a rematch.  I have been saying it since the fight. It is a terrific rematch on pay-per-view.  I think the accidental headbutt in the second round did change somewhat the complexity of the fight.  I will tell you this - in the third round when they knew they could have stopped the fight and it would have been no contest - Ruslan said to the corner and to the doctor and I quote, 'you stop this fight if I am on my back.  Do not stop this fight.' It was a great fight.  Matthysse got hurt in the 11th and Ruslan was never hurt.  He just got that headbutt. I think it is a Fight of the Year candidate. At the end of the day, I would like to do it again," Pelullo explained.

The Philadelphia, Penn. based promoter said that the rematch doesn't have to be immediate and that he would be okay with both fighters taking interim fights.  He feels that whenever the rematch occurs, it would do well as a pay-per-view event.

"Time will play out.  If we fight next that will play out. I think in a couple months we will go our separate ways and make a plan.  We will see if we take a different fight then go to a rematch.  I understand that Matthysse would like to do a fight in Argentina. Oscar is looking to do that for him in his home country.  So we will figure it out.  I think the fans would love that fight and we could do that rematch on pay-per-view,"

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