Ruslan Provodnikov is slowly carving out his name on the list of the best boxers today, and the reigning WBO light welterweight champion is looking to make bigger waves this year.

Provodnikov, who is coming off an impressive victory over Mike Alvarado in their title showdown in October last year, is reportedly being considered by Manny Pacquiao for his next fight on April 12 in Las Vegas.

And if the Russian champion lands a big date with the former pound-for-pound king, Provodnikov vowed that he will seize the opportunity, while also expressing confidence about his chances against Pacquiao.

The Filipino boxing icon made a triumphant return from two straight stinging defeats to Timothy Bradley and Juan Manuel Marquez in 2012 via a dominating victory over Brandon Rios in November.

Pacquiao outclassed his 27-year-old American challenger as proven by the lopsided scorecards. But despite winning by a huge margin, Provodnikov was not impressed with Pacquiao's performance against Rios.

"In that fight [against Brandon Rios], Manny showed that I have a good chance [to win]," Provodnikov confidently said in a BoxingScene interview.

Provodnikov previously expressed no interest in facing Pacquiao since the two of them are very good friends and even had sparring sessions before.

However, the 29-year-old Russian made a sudden u-turn and is now continuously talking about his desire to face the 35-year-old Filipino in his next fight. The Beryozovo native insisted that fighting Pacquiao will be all about business and that their relationship as good friends will not be affected after the fight.

"First, there is nothing wrong with this [fight], it's business," Provodnikov said. "Boxing history has shown us many examples where best friends go out and fight with each other. Although we can't really call ourselves [best friends] with Manny - we were friends, we knew each other and we were always talking when we met."

Provodnikov, who was personally invited by Pacquiao to watch the Rios bout in Macau in November, will be pressed to find a new trainer if ever the big date with the former eight-division champion is officially arranged.

Provodnikov is also under Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach. The veteran trainer, who previously said that he is hoping that his two fighters won't go up against each other, is expected to ditch Provodnikov if he ends up fighting Pacquiao in April.