Tag: Gary Russell Jr.

Gervonta Davis, Gary Russell Jr., Andre Dirrell, & Rances Barthelemy Get The W

GARY RUSSELL JR. DEFEATS OSCAR ESCANDON IN FRONT OF HOMETOWN CROWD FROM MGM NATIONAL HARBOR, LIVE ON SHOWTIME®


Andre Dirrell Wins Via Disqualification Stoppage, Rances Barthelemy Earns Hard-Fought Decision Win


Gervonta Davis Stops Liam Walsh to Retain IBF Junior Lightweight Title from Copper Box Arena in London

 

Catch The Encore Presentation of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING®

 on Monday, May 22 at 10 p.m. on SHO EXTREME

 

Click
HERE For Photos

Photo Credit: Tom Casino/SHOWTIME

 

Click
HERE To Watch Gary Russell Jr.’s TKO

 

National Harbor (May 20) – From the MGM National Harbor “Mr.” Gary Russell Jr.,

(28-1, 17 KOs) had a successful homecoming in front of a nearly sold out crowd as he defended his WBC Featherweight World title with a seventh-round stoppage against the very tough, strong-willed Columbian
Oscar Escandon (25-3, 17 KOs) in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.

 

Russell Jr. took control of the action from the outset, peppering the shorter Escandon at will and dropping him in the third.

 

However, the brave Escandon fought his way back into the fight in the fourth and fifth stanzas, but Russell stormed into the seventh, battering the hurt Escandon and dropping him early, causing referee Harvey Dock
to stop the fight at the 0:59 mark of the round (Click
HERE to watch the TKO).


About the victory, Russell Jr. said, “First and foremost, I want to say happy birthday to my father. Secondly, I’d like to tell all the fans that came to support me: I love you all. Thank you.

“I fought a tough competitor. I knew Escandon wanted to come and bring his best. I knew he was going to come forward. I was ready for him. We are warriors. 

“I want Lomachenko [next], that’s a no-brainer. I don’t want to do it for the fans or for the media, I want to do it for myself. And I want to do it twice. I’ll knock him out the first time and then, he’ll want me to fight him again.

“I’d love to unify against all the other guys in the featherweight division. I’d like Leo Santa Cruz, Lee Selby, Oscar Valdez.”

About the knockout loss, “I was getting my rhythm going and I felt like Gary was getting tired. I didn’t see him coming with the big punch he threw at the end and that was it. I went down and was hoping to get a 10 count,
but the referee didn’t give it to me and he stopped the fight. 

“I knew that Gary was going to go fast from the first to the fifth round and it was part of my strategy to let him do that and get tired. It didn’t work unfortunately. 

“Now we need to go back to the drawing board to rest and see what my manager has planned for me.”

Said trainer and father Gary Russell Sr., “I’m ecstatic. I’m really happy. I got three wins. Three stoppages. It’s my birthday. I’m 15 minutes from home and I can
go home and relax.

 

“We prepared fully for Mr. Escandon. We knew he was going to do what he did – come forward. I don’t want to diminish or take anything away from Mr. Escandon. He really is a hard, rough fighter. Throughout the course
of the fight, I instructed Gary to hit him with some good shots. Some hard shots. It is a brutal sport.”

 

Co-featured on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING in a 12-round clash for the IBF Interim Super Middleweight Title, Flint, Michigan’s
Andre Dirrell, (26-2, 16 KOs), was declared the winner after round eight as
Jose Uzcategui, (26-2, 22 KOs) of Merida, Venezuela, was disqualified for a punch after the bell sounded to end the eighth round.

 

Uzcategui started fast, battering Dirrell from the opening round, cutting off the ring and slamming away with body and head shot through the first three rounds. Dirrell saw success starting in the fourth round, countering
Uzcategui and scoring

well.

 

Over the next four rounds, the contenders traded even as the fight became more hotly contested. At the end of the eighth round, with Dirrell backed into a neutral corner, Uzcategui let loose with a three-punch combination,
the last left hand hitting the southpaw after the bell as he fell to the combination.

 

Following a delay to allow medical personnel to attend to Dirrell, referee Bill Clancy declared that Uzcategui was disqualified with Dirrell being declared the winner.

 

Said referee Bill Clancy about his decision, “The bell rang to stop the round. The round was over and Andre [Dirrell] was knocked out with an illegal punch. So therefore, Dirrell will win this fight by disqualification.


“That’s a blatant foul. Earlier in the fight, I had warned Uzcategui. I warned him. Dirrell wins the fight, he was clearly unable to continue.”

About the ending, Dirrell said, “All I remember was him [Uzcategui] throwing a shot at me at the same time the bell rang. After that everything was blurry. I remember a shot and then all went fuzzy.

“I forgive Uzcategui. I forgive his camp. I don’t want to win a championship like this. I wanted to win fair and square. But I forgive him.

Following the decision, Dirrell’s trainer and uncle Leon Lawson punched Uzcategui in the corner, sparking a brief altercation in the ring that was quelled by MGM National Harbor security and local police.

“I’m sorry for what my coach has done. My coach is my family, my uncle, and he was worried. He cares for me. He loves me. Please forgive him.

“I’m going to stand up like a man. I didn’t win like I wanted to, but I’ll be back. I’m going to come back as soon as they let me.”

Stated a very disappointed Uzcategui, “I felt very good. I was hurting him the entire fight. I felt like I could hurt him anytime I wanted. Nothing he hit me with hurt me. 

 

“I was throwing a three-punch combination and I didn’t hear the bell. I didn’t mean to hit him. The third punch wasn’t that hard of a punch. I was surprised he stayed down.  

 

“He did the same thing against Abraham that he did against me tonight. He quit against me and he quit against him. I deserve to be the winner.”

 

The live televised fights in The Theater kicked-off with two-division world champion
Rances Barthelemy (26-0, 13 KOs) winning a 12-round unanimous decision over valiant
Kiryl Relikh, (25-3, 16 KOs), of Baranovichi, Byelorussia. Scores in the WBA Super Lightweight eliminator were 116-110, 115-111 and 117-109.

 

The opening two rounds of the fight featured excellent action with both fighters attempting to impose their will.  In the third round Relikh suffered a low blow resulting in a two-minute delay, however, no point deduction
was made by referee Kenny Chevalier. Following the low blow, the shorter Relikh became much more aggressive.

 

With the undefeated, blue-haired Barthelemy switching stances often in the fourth stanza, he was able to score at will against Relikh.

 

However, Relikh came out charging in the fifth, battering away against Barthelemy who was caught against the ropes and scoring a knockdown when the ropes held the Cuban up from a barrage of hard punches.

 

Recovering nicely in the sixth and seventh, Barthelemy badly hurt Relikh with a multitude of body shots from both hands.

 

In the eight round Barthelemy truly turned the tide for good in the ninth, drilling Relikh to the canvas with a blistering left hook to the body. Through the championship rounds it was all Barthelemy who finished
strong against the game but outgunned Relikh.


Said the victorious Barthelemy, “It feels great to be going forward. The 11-month layoff really took a toll on my body and I felt it in the ring.

“I knew it was a close fight but knew I should get a unanimous decision.

“Relikh was a hard hitter. He surprised me with a right hook in the 5th round and I hit the canvas, so I knew I had to be careful going forward. I knew I had lost that round and had to come back stronger.

“I took the sixth round to take a breather and then I came back to work the body. Once I knocked him down, I saw that he was hurt and protecting himself upstairs a lot more so I knew I was going to have to be more strategic
to come out victorious.”

Replied a very disappointed Relikh, “Of course I thought I won. Even TV thought I won. The referee did his job when he called it a knockdown in the fifth. I thought
it was over.”

 

“The two low blows definitely affected me. It takes the wind out of you. This is boxing not MMA.”

 

Hot super bantamweight prospect Gary Antonio Russell improved to 8-0 with six knockouts with a dominating performance and knockout stoppage of Puerto Rico’s Jovany Fuentes, (7-9, 6 KOs). Following knockdowns
in the second and third stanzas, the bout was called to a halt at 0:22 of round three.

 

Making his pro debut, super lightweight
Gary Antuanne Russell, (1-0 1 KO) wasted no time dropping Joshua Ross, (2-4-4) of Monroe, LA to the canvas three times enroute to a stoppage victory at the 2:25 mark of the initial stanza.

 

Gervonta Davis went on the road in the first defense of his IBF Junior Lightweight World Championship and made a statement with an emphatic third-round TKO
of previously undefeated local favorite Liam Walsh in the opening bout of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING from Copper Box Arena in London.

 

The southpaw Davis (18-0, 17 KOs) set the pace from the opening bell, connecting seemingly at will with a strong left hook.  In the third round, America’s youngest world champion floored Walsh with a strong left after
a series of brutal connecting combos on the inside.  Walsh got up, but the onslaught continued seconds later and referee Michael Alexander stopped the championship bout at 2:11, with Walsh defenseless and on unsteady legs. 

 

“Tonight we were in the groove,” Davis said.  “I think he was hurt pretty bad.  The ref did his job and it was just a matter of time.  I used my boxing IQ tonight and picked my shots, and when I picked my shots I
got him out of there.  

 

“I’m still on the rise.  I became a champion super-fast, but I’m still rising and there’s more to come.”

 

Promoter Floyd Mayweather was ringside in London to support his fighter, who he’s christened “the future of boxing.”

 

Walsh (21-1, 14 KOs), who entered the bout as the No. 1 challenger and the decided local favorite at Copper Box, was disappointed with the stoppage. 

 

“He’s very fast, very active, but that was too quick,” Walsh said.  “He won fair and square, but sometimes they stop the fight too early.  I never got an opportunity.  I’m not saying the result would be different,
but give me a chance. 

 

“I’d love to fight him again.  I’d fight him for next to nothing.

Featherweight World Champion Gary Russell Jr. Defends His Belt Against Top Challenger Oscar Escandon Saturday, May 20

Featherweight World Champion Gary Russell Jr. Defends His Belt Against Top Challenger Oscar Escandon Saturday, May 20

From MGM National Harbor in Maryland & Live on SHOWTIME

 

Tickets Now on Sale!

 

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD. (April 7, 2017) – WBC Featherweight World Champion
Gary Russell Jr. will make the second defense of his title when he faces top challenger
Oscar Escandon Saturday, May 20 in themain event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING from the recently opened MGM National Harbor in Maryland live on SHOWTIME.

 

The Maryland-native Russell Jr. (27-1, 16 KOs) and the WBC Interim Featherweight Champion
Escandon (25-2, 17 KOs) will battle in one of boxing’s most talented divisions that continues to deliver exciting action fight after fight. A lineup of exciting co-featured attractions will be announced next week.

 

“I’m a gladiator getting ready for a tough battle,” said Russell Jr. “This is going to be a huge night for my family and I’m glad that the time is here. This will be the first time as pros that I get to fight
on the same card as both of my little brothers, (unbeaten bantamweight) Gary Antonio and (2016 U.S. Olympian) Gary Antuanne, plus my brother Gary Allan will work all of our corners. We’re excited to get in the ring and show the fans what we’re capable of doing
in the ring.”

 

“I’ve had to wait for this opportunity to face Gary Russell Jr. and I’m going to take full advantage of it,” said Escandon. “It’s going to be a great fight and I know the fans are going to get their money’s worth.
I feel 100 percent healthy and now that the fight is here I am ready to knock him out.”

 

Tickets for the live event promoted by TGB Promotions are priced at $200, $150, $100 and $50, and are now on sale. To purchase tickets go to
http://mgmnationalharbor.com/.
The main event is co-promoted by Sampson Boxing. This bout was originally scheduled to take place on March 11 but was rescheduled after Escandon suffered a back injury in training camp. Fans who bought tickets for the March 11 show will have their tickets
honored on May 20.

 

“This is going to be a great night of boxing,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “The featherweight division is very hot right now with the recent wins by Leo Santa
Cruz and Abner Mares. There is something very special going on in the division and this will be another memorable fight. Escandon is a tough warrior who has proven time and again that he doesn’t care about going on the road or where he fights. There are great
boxing fans in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia region and they are in-store for an exciting night on May 20.”

 

A speedy and supremely talented boxer, Russell Jr., was impressive in his fourth-round stoppage
of the battle-tested Jhonny Gonzalez that earned him the title in March 2015. The 2008 U.S. Olympian had scored important victories over Vyacheslav Gusev, Juan Ruiz and Miguel Tamayo before losing a majority decision to
Vasyl Lomachenko for the WBO 126-pound title in June 2014. The southpaw, of Capitol Heights, Md., most recently scored a dominant second-round TKO victory over Patrick Hyland in his first title defense in April 2016.

 

Fighting out of Ibague, Colombia, Escandon turned pro in 2008 and was undefeated in his first 22 professional bouts. Escandon won an interim world title at super bantamweight in 2014 when he defeated Tyson Cave in his U.S. debut.
He earned his shot at Russell Jr. last March when he survived an early knockdown to score a knockout victory over Robinson Castellanos in the seventh round of their showdown in Washington, D.C

Jhonny Gonzalez vs. Gary Russell Jr. Preview

Jhonny-Gonzalez-Gary-Russell-Jr.

Showtime Championship Boxing will come to us from the The Pearl at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday as Jhonny Gonzalez (57- 8, 48 KOs) attempts to make the third title defense of his WBC World featherweight title against once beaten Gary Russell Jr. (25-1, 14 KOs).

Russell Jr. of Capital Heights, Maryland is on a quest to prove that he still is who we thought he was prior to the Vasyl Lomachenko loss, one of the best up and coming fighters in the game. An undefeated fighter prior to June of 2014 when he faced Lomachenko, Russell was the guy who exhibited all the skills but did not yet have a career defining win or one over a top flight opponent.

Lomachenko’s majority decision could and probably should have been scored a unanimous decision. It’s not like Russell fought badly, he has some of the fastest hands in the business and his power shots were coming at Lomachenko with blistering speed but the Ukrainian was always a step faster causing Russell to land very few clean shots.

Russell was attacked to the body early with damaging blows, the effects of which were evident in the championship rounds. Russell was never able to cut the ring off and force Lomachenko into a slugfest and lost out on a chance to capture the vacant WBO World featherweight title.

In an interview with Behind The Gloves, Gary Russell Sr. spoke about his son’s loss,

“Like they say, you’re only as good as your last fight.  No one wants to talk about the 24 wins my son had.  Media just wants to talk about the loss.  I understand, it hypes the story, it sells.  Hey, look, Lomachenko was a real tough fight but what people don’t know is my son was in a sauna three days in a row before the fight, each after a long training session.”

“He had a strength and conditioning coach for the first time in his career.  And without my knowledge, he was taking my son to the sauna for hours after training.  You could tell by the first round with Lomachenko, something was off.  Gary wasn’t himself.  He was dehydrated.  The sauna is a vampire.  Sucks the life out of you.”

Russell followed the Lomachenko loss with a unanimous decision victory in his last fight against Christopher Martin in December.

Mexico’s Gonzalez has been riding high since he stopped then undefeated WBC World featherweight champion Abner Mares in one round back in 2013.  Since then he has made two title defenses, both in 2014, a technical decision win over Clive Atwell and in his last fight in October, an 11th round stoppage win over tough as nails Jorge Arce.

“I’m very excited to be coming back to the United States. Every time I have fought on American soil, it has been career changing for me,” said Gonzalez. “In 2012, [Daniel] Ponce De Leon stopped me in Las Vegas and made me reconsider my whole strategy. I came back to the U.S. in 2013 and I stopped an undefeated champion, Abner Mares. Now I’m back and once again I’m facing a tough opponent. Russell is not an easy test, but I’m confident I’m going to surprise everybody once more. Nobody thought I had a chance in 2013 and I stripped Mares of his title, food for thought.”

“Ever since beating Mares, I feel like I am finally getting the respect and support from the fans and media that I deserve. I get recognized all of the time now. The recognition motivates me to work harder than ever before and not let my fans down”

“I feel like I am in my boxing prime. There is still so much to prove and show to the world that I am still at the top of my game and capable of fighting with the best, in my fight on Saturday I am going to bring the same energy and intensity that I brought in my fight against Mares.”

As the adage goes, styles make fights and the contrast here is a recipe for an explosive fight. Gonzalez is a heavy handed brawler who comes forward with a seek and destroy mentality while the southpaw Russell’s speed is the great equalizer. Gonzalez will have a reach advantage but Russell is the best opponent that Gonzalez has fought in some time, something that is not lost on Gonzalez.

“I know that Gary Russell Jr. has fast and powerful hands. He is a quick and strong southpaw. I know he’s an excellent boxer, I am going to attack him with my power and speed. Once he feels my power in the ring, he’s not going to be able to think in there. He’s going to run, but if he decides to brawl with us, then we will have something for him.”

“At this point in my career, he [Russell] is the fastest opponent I have ever faced. He has very fast hands and puts together good combinations, to prepare for Russell, I am constantly keeping my hands up at all times during my training. I am training that if he throws punches at me, I know how to immediately react and throw shots back at him.”

“A lot of people are doubting me going into this fight because of the speed of Russell. It’s a great challenge for me and I can’t wait to get in the ring. “I am absolutely looking for the knockout and I believe I will get it. I don’t expect this fight to go the distance. I am going to pressure him from the opening bell, my conditioning and confidence is at an all-time high. I am very anxious for this title fight”

Countered Russell,

“Loma (Lomachenko) is fast while Gonzalez is a puncher. Gonzalez is more dangerous, more seasoned. We take every fight seriously, it’s a dangerous fight but we fill we’ll be successful.”

“He won’t be able to handle my speed. He has to set his feet and he lacks ring generalship. His punches are wide and I’ll be able to catch him between shots.”

Russell Jr. again has a shot at a world title and has vowed that the outcome will be different this time. He can quiet his critics with a convincing performance, a loss and the doubts and criticisms increase to a deafening tone.

Portions of this article contributed to BTG.