Photos: Matthysse, Provodnikov Shredded For Verona War

Both fighters are ripped and ready, making weight for their highly anticipated war. Matthysse tipped the scales at 139 lbs., while Provodnikov was a shade heavier than his fellow slugger at 139.5 lbs. 

Matthysse (36-3, 34KOs) has emerged as a cult favorite in the sport, though amazingly is without a win on HBO. His lone two apperances on the network both resulted in debatable decisions losses, coming up short on the road versus Zab Judah and Devon Alexander.

The free-swinging Argentinean has since won eight of his last nine starts, including his last seven fights airing live on Showtime. Among the bunch was a multi-knockdown war with John Molina Jr. last April, with both fighters hitting the canvas before Matthysse emerged victorious in an 11th round knockout.

The bout took place on April 26, 2014. Its one-year anniversary will be celebrated with honor of being awarded 2014 Fight of the Year according to the Boxing Writer's Association of America, with its ceremony to be held next Friday, April 24 in New York City.

By then, it's entirely possible Matthysse is already in the running for 2015 top honors. 

He certainly has the right dance partner in Provodnikov (24-3, 17KOs), a no-nonsense slugger from Russia who has quickly emerged as a fan favorite on the HBO circuit.

Provodnikov came up just shy in a 12-round war with then-unbeaten welterweight titlist Tim Bradley on the road in California, with their March '13 war universally hailed as 2013 Fight of the Year. 

His follow-up performance was one that established his presence as a top threat in the junior welterweight division. Once again fighting in his opponent's backyard, Provodnikov rallied back hard to force Mike Alvarado to quit after 10 brusing rounds in their Oct. '13 slugfest just outside of Denver, Colorado. 

A 12-round loss to Chris Algieri last June ended his run as a 140 lb. titlist. He has since rebounded with a walkover knockout win versus badly faded Jose Luis Castillo last home in a homecoming showcase in Russia. 

The bout airs live on HBO, packaged in a split site doubleheader that also features Terence Crawford in a 140 lb. vacant title fight versus Thomas Dulorme. The popular—though largely unconfirmed—belief is that the telecast is designed to have the winners meet up down the road.