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Philippines, 12 Feb 2026 |
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MASAM SPORTS 19: WHO IS MARK MAGSAYO'S OPPONENT GARY RUSSELL JR? By Maloney L. Samaco PhilBoxing.com Sat, 22 Jan 2022  Gary Allen Russell Jr., the next opponent for Mark Magsayo, was born June 5, 1988 in Washington, D.C., U.S. and is now based in Capitol Heights, Maryland. All six brothers in his family are named Gary after their father Gary Russell, Sr. Four of them are competitive boxers, trained by their father. “Mr.” Gary Russell Jr. is the reigning WBC featherweight champion, his brother boxers are bantamweight contender Gary Antonio Russell and super lightweight Gary Antuanne Russell. Gary Allan Russell serves as their mitt man and assistant trainer to head trainer Gary Sr. The late Gary Darreke and the youngest of six, Gary Isaiah Russell, loved basketball more than boxing. As an amateur boxer, Russell Jr. won a bantamweight bronze medal at the 2005 World Championships held in Mianyang, China. Russell missed the Olympic weigh-in hours after losing consciousness in his Olympic Village dorm room, possibly from dehydration. Gary turned professional after an amateur career with a record of 163-10. He had his professional debut beating fellow American Antonio Reyes by third round TKO on January 16, 2009 at the Million Dollar Elm Casino, Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. In 2011, he was named Prospect of the Year by The Ring, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN. He had a 24–0 record for five years since turning pro, with fourteen of them by knockouts. The WBO ordered Russell Jr. to fight Vasiliy Lomachenko for the vacant featherweight title. The fight took place on June 21, 2014 at the StubHub Center in Carson, California. Lomachenko defeated Russell Jr. by majority decision to win the vacant WBO featherweight title. Judge Lisa Giampa scored the fight a 114–114 draw, and judges Max DeLuca and Pat Russell scored the fight 116–112 in favor of Lomachenko for the WBO title. WBC featherweight champion Jhonny González of Mexico made his third title defense against Russell on March 28, 2015, at the Pearl Concert Theater in Paradise, Nevada. Russell won the fight by a fourth-round technical knockout. Russell Jr. knocked González down twice in the third round, and another in the fourth round. Referee Tony Weeks stopped the fight after several unanswered punches. Russell fought Patrick Hyland of Ireland in his first title defense on April 16, 2016, thirteen months after becoming the champion. The title bout was held at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Montville, Connecticut. Russell entered the bout as an overwhelming favorite to retain the belt, while Hyland was a heavy underdog. He won the fight by a second-round knockout. Hyland was knocked down three times at the second round, prompting referee Danny Schiavone to wave the fight off. Russell faced WBO interim featherweight champion Óscar Escandón of Colombia on May 27, 2017 at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland. He defended his featherweight title by a seventh-round technical knockout. The WBC ordered Russell to make his third title defense against the No. 1 featherweight contender and mandatory title challenger Joseph Diaz on May 19, 2018 at the MGM National Harbor Oxon Hill, Maryland. Russell won by unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring the fight 117–111 in his favor. Russell faced Spain's Kiko Martínez, the No. 3 WBC featherweight contender, on May 18, 2019 at the Barclays Center, New York City. He defeated Martínez by a fifth-round technical knockout due to a cut above Martínez's left eye. He was leading in all the judges' scorecards at the time of the stoppage. Russell made his fifth WBC title defense against the No. 1 ranked mandatory title challenger Tugstsogt Nyambayar of Mongolia on February 8, 2020 at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Russell won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 118–110, 117–111 and 116–112. On September 21, 2021, the WBC ordered Russell to make his sixth title defense against the No. 1 featherweight contender and mandatory title challenger Mark Magsayo. The title fight is scheduled at the Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey on January 22, 2022. Russell stands 5 ft 4 1⁄2 in (164 cm) with a reach of 64 in (163 cm). The southpaw boxer has a record of 31-1 with 18 KOs (KO rate of 56.25%). He has fought a total of 160 rounds. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.  |
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