BROOMFIELD, Colo. Ivan Rodriguez Jersey . -- Ruslan Provodnikov bruised Mike Alvarado all night with blow after powerful blow. Then, he broke Alvarados spirit. The Russian brawler nicknamed the "Siberian Rocky" captured the junior welterweight title on Saturday when Alvarado couldnt answer the bell for the 11th round. Provodnikov (23-2) knocked down Alvarado (34-2) twice in the eighth round with a series of punches near the ropes and finished him off late in the 10th. The fight was halted by referee Tony Weeks, who asked Alvarado a few times if he wanted to continue and Alvarado responded that he didnt. To Provodnikov, he couldnt have envisioned a better ending, comparing Alvarado throwing in the towel to Roberto Duran famously saying "No mas," in a fight against Sugar Ray Leonard in 1980. "I made him not want to fight me anymore," Provodnikov said through a translator. "This is the best way I could become the champion." Promoter Bob Arum, who represents Alvarado, said his boxer might have suffered a concussion. Provodnikov didnt have trainer Freddie Roach in his corner. Roach remained in the Philippines to work out with Manny Pacquiao, who fights Brandon Rios next month in Macau. It hardly mattered as Marvin Somodio filled in and kept Provodnikov on course. "My team told me, Youre ready -- come out and become a champion," Provodnikov said. "I was doing my job." Not even chants from the home crowd could lift Alvarado, who grew up in Denver and was wearing blue-and-orange trunks in honour of the Denver Broncos. Alvarado got lured into Provodnikovs kind of fight -- more brawling than boxing -- and never recovered. This was quite a contrast to Alvarados win over Rios seven months ago, when he had a near flawless fight. Alvarados eye puffed up midway through the fight, the result of a barrage of punches throughout the fight. "It just wasnt Mikes night. He was too defensive," said Shann Vilhauer, the trainer for Alvarado. "I think he just started reading all these clips after the (Brandon) Rios fight, that he was a great boxer and he got away from what hes best at. This guy (Provodnikov) was tailor made for him. He didnt take advantage." After the fight, Alvarado said that Provodnikov threw the hardest punches he has ever encountered. He also said manager Henry Delgado stopped the fight and that he agreed with the decision. "It was not worth taking more punishment because the damage could be permanent," Alvarado said. "It just wasnt my night. I have a lot of heart. Im not a quitter." This was the biggest bout in the area since former World Boxing Council lightweight champion Stevie Johnston fell to Jose Luis Castillo in 2000. It also was the first time HBO has televised a live fight from Colorado. Provodnikov didnt pay any attention to the pre-fight "boos," or the crowd constantly chanting, "3-0-3," the citys area code. "If you want to be a world champion, you have to risk it -- go and fight the best, go to his hometown," Provodnikov said. With the win, Provodnikov could likely be in line for the winner of Pacquiao and Rios. The other likely candidate is Timothy Bradley Jr., a fighter Provodnikov lost to in a memorable bout last March. A rematch with Alvarado isnt out of the question, either. "Unbelievable," said Arthur Pelullo, the president of Banner Promotions, which represents Provodnikov. "He had a great game plan. Even though Freddie wasnt here, he stuck to the game plan. Alvarado is a tough son of a gun. He was the kind of kid youve got to give respect to. Hes a champion." On the undercard, Juan Diaz (38-4) landed jab after jab on Juan Santiago (14-11-1), but couldnt put him away in a lightweight fight. Diazs dominating performance led to a unanimous decision as he remained unblemished in his third fight back after a two-year layoff. Diaz, a former titleholder nicknamed "Baby Bull," got burned out on boxing and took some time off, even opening a trucking company in Houston. "I got some much-needed rounds," said Diaz, whos hoping for another title shot down the road. "I think I broke him down very well throughout the fight. ... He gave me a good fight." Prince Fielder Jersey . Only it wasnt the extended right pad of his old teammate Jonathan Bernier early in the final frame, it was James Reimer, who stole a night that was supposed to belong to the former King. Andrew Cashner Jersey .com) - Hassan Whiteside scored 20 points with nine rebounds in the Miami Heats 83-75 win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Those 36-year-old legs of Manu Ginobilis have been feeling pretty spry this season. That spring in his step that had been missing for so much of last season was back, helping the Argentine magician become a game-changer again for the San Antonio Spurs. So when the lane opened up in the third quarter Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets, Ginobili decided to go for it. He rose up, cradled the ball in his left hand and threw down a solid, one-handed dunk. And with that, Ginobili joined the growing list of injured Spurs. The team said Wednesday that Ginobili strained his left hamstring on the dunk and will miss the next three to four weeks. Ginobili joins Danny Green (broken finger), Kawhi Leonard (broken left hand) and Tiago Splitter (sprained right shoulder) on the teams injured list, a run of bad luck that has torn apart the teams depth, particularly on the wing. "You play the guys on the bench," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "We cant play the guys on the other team. I know that." The team is hopeful Splitter, who hasnt played since Jan. 4, will return in time for the teams annual rodeo road trip, a 10-game stint that begins Monday in New Orleans. That would help out Tim Duncan and the big men up front, but the problems on the perimeter remain. After struggling for much of last season, Ginobili signed a two-year contract to remain in San Antonio. He has rebounded this season to resume his role as the Spurs playmaker off the bench, averaging 12.1 points, 4.5 assists and shooting 52 per cent on his 2-point shots. During a monthlong stretch from the middle of December to the middle of January, Ginobili scored at least 20 points five times in a 16-game span to help the Spurs once again establish themselves among the NBAs elite teams. Hes been pretty healthy as well, missing two games earlier in January because of a sore left hamstring before injuring it more severely on Tuesday night. Josh Hamilton Jersey. Ginobili, who has long been the emotional centre of this close-knit team, was dejected as he limped off the court. His injury puts even more responsibility on the shoulders of veteran Marco Belinelli, who has been a reliable shooter in a supporting role after coming over in free agency from the Chicago Bulls. Belinelli is averaging 10.9 points and shooting 46.7 per cent from 3-point range for the Spurs. With the injuries to Leonard and Green, Belinelli had become a starter on the wing and seen his playing time steadily increase. Belinelli played 38 minutes in the loss to Houston, and the Spurs recently signed NBDL standout Othyus Jeffers to a 10-day contract to give them another warm body on the perimeter. Thanks in large part to Ginobilis return to form, the Spurs entered Wednesdays game against the Bulls at 33-12, good for second place in the hyper-competitive Western Conference. But theyve lost three of their last four games, are 1-11 against the top seven teams in the league and now face the daunting challenge of that long road trip without Ginobili, and with Portland (33-13) and the Clippers (32-15) right on their heels. Chicago is facing its own injuries woes. All-Star point guard Derrick Rose was lost for the season with a knee injury for the second consecutive year and starting centre Joakim Noah (illness) and guard Kirk Hinrich (right hamstring) are game-time decisions for tonights game against San Antonio. So, Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau said he has little empathy for the Spurs, not because Chicago is also battling injuries, but because of how deep San Antonio is. "Its the nature of the league. Its the grind of an 82-game season. Youre going to take injuries on. Its how you respond and the Spurs have always done a good job with that. Its the way the Spurs are built." 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