Gary Antuanne Russell Vs Jose Marrufo
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Gary Russell Jr. Defeats King Tug, Again Calls Out Santa Cruz, Lomachenko, Davis
- Gary Antonio Russell, 27, will clash with Jesus Martinez in bantamweight action and Gary Antuanne Russell, 23, will face Jose Marrufo in a junior welterweight scrap — both further down the card.
- Gary Antuanne Russell vs Jose Marrufo. Gary Antuanne Russell (-2750) Jose Marrufo (+1250) Antuanne Russell comes in as a massive betting favorite with odds ranging from -2500 all the way up to -5000. The undefeated American boxer has become accustomed to be a betting favorite while his counterpart is a perennial underdog.
- Nyambayar 2020.02.08 Allentown, Pennsylvania Discussion Main Card 140 lbs Boxing Gary Antuanne Russell defeats Jose Marrufo via KO/TKO at 2:12 of Round 1.
Gary Russell Jr. has said for years that the big fights aren’t coming to him, so he’ll go to them.
It’s time for him to make that happen.
Russell retained his featherweight world title Saturday night with a unanimous decision over Tugstsogt Nyambayar, once again showing the skills, hand speed and ring smarts that have made him simultaneously one of the most talented fighters to watch and one of the most frustrating careers to follow.
This was the fifth defense of Russell’s world title. He’s one of the longest-reigning titleholders in boxing, behind only 105-pound titleholder Wanheng Menayothin and heavyweight titleholder Deontay Wilder. But here’s the thing: Those five title defenses have come over the span of five years. Russell fought just once apiece in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. Hopefully the same won’t be said about 2020.
Any criticism of Russell isn’t out of disrespect. Rather, it’s out of respect — he’s a very good fighter, someone who should be fighting more often and against better opposition.
It hasn’t been all disappointment. He defeated then-unbeaten contender Joseph Diaz Jr. in 2018. And Nyambayar, while unknown to many who had turned in to Showtime’s broadcast, was also unbeaten and was thought of well by those in the know. Nyambayar won a silver medal in the 2012 Olympics and had put together two decent wins to establish himself as a contender, knocking out Oscar Escandon in 2018 (one year after Russell did the same) and outpointing Claudio Marrero in 2019. Like Russell, Nyambayar had been rather inactive of late.
Both men looked sharp in the ring on fight night. Russell, in particular, started off very well. He controlled distance, popped off jabs, ducked Nyambayar’s shots, and began to throw his punches in short, fast combinations in Round 2. His hand speed and ring savvy meant that Nyambayar was cautious in the early going, aware of the danger Russell posed. Nyambayar was coming forward but rarely throwing, an approach that wasn’t going to help his circumstances.
Even in Round 4, when Nyambayar got Russell on the ropes, he tried one punch and missed, while Russell retaliated with several shots and got away.
“I need more punch from you,” Nyambayar’s trainer told him before Round 5. “Make combinations.”
There was a question of whether Nyambayar would be able to do that. He didn’t have experience against opponents as talented as Russell. This was a situation he hadn’t really confronted before.
But Nyambayar indeed responded. He turned up the pressure in Round 5, landing a pair of right hands. The round still seemed like it belonged to Russell, though, and so Nyambayar amped up his volume in Round 6. He’d averaged just 38 punches thrown per round in the previous five rounds. In the sixth, he let loose with 54, and tossed out 73 shots in the seventh, according to CompuBox.
Russell tried to dissuade Nyambayar in that Round 7, starting off the round coming forward instead of boxing. Russell laced his punches around Nyambayar’s high guard, and Nyambayar tried to take advantage of the situation, exchanging back-and-forth with Russell in a round that saw each man throw and land more than he’d done to that point.
Both tried to show off in Round 8. Nyambayar wound up with a bolo punch. Russell sent out a fast flurry caroming off the sides of Nyambayar’s head and gloves. Nyambayar had a good sequence in Round 10, including a solid left hook that Russell absorbed fine. Russell landed a good, short southpaw right hook from inside, and soon he countered with a left hook as Nyambayar walked in. Nyambayar nodded and kept coming forward.
Russell tested Nyambayar’s chin in Round 11, scoring with a left cross and right hook. Going into Round 12, it was clear that Nyambayar needed to come from behind to win. And it was another active round — indeed, the second half of the fight had brought plenty of volume, even if neither fighter was overly accurate.
Russell was 134 of 867 on the night, a 15 percent connect rate, including 104 of 399 in power punches, or 26 percent, landing one in every four. Nyambayar was 122 of 707, a 17 percent connect rate, including 101 of 482 in power shots, or 21 percent, landing about one in every five.
The judges rightly recognized that Russell had landed better and controlled the action, seeing it 116-112 (eight rounds to four), 117-111 (nine rounds to three) and a wide 118-110 (10 rounds to two).
Afterward, Russell said what he’s said before. He wants a rematch with the person who gave him the lone blemish on his record of 31-1 with 18 knockouts, lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko. He’d need to go from 126 pounds to the 135-pound division to make that happen. Russell said he’d also move up to face Leo Santa Cruz, who’s now at 130, or Gervonta Davis, who recently went to lightweight.
Some of these fights should be possible. Then again, fights with other featherweight titleholders in recent years also should’ve been possible, including Santa Cruz and Lee Selby. Russell says he’s avoided. I’m not privy to the negotiations and everything that goes on behind the scenes. But it does seem like Russell can’t lay all of the blame on everyone else. The fact that he’s fought so rarely seems to be his choice, and that hasn’t helped these big fights come to fruition.
Maybe this will be the year that finally changes. Maybe this will be the year we can see how Russell’s obvious talents match up against fighters who are also gifted. (We won’t hold out any hope that Russell will take on fellow featherweight titleholder Shakur Stevenson. The politics and business of the sport — they’re with different promoters who rarely work together — make it easy to be pessimistic. That would be a fantastic pairing to behold, however.)
As for Nyambayar, he is now 11-1 with 9 KOs but will be better for this experience. He didn’t take a beating, and he can learn from the loss, return to the gym and improve. Nyambayar couldn’t best Russell on Saturday night, but he should remain a presence at featherweight and work his way toward another title shot.
Charles Conwell Returns After Tragedy, Notches Fifth-Round Stoppage
Boxing is a hurt sport. Fighters are there to win, and they know they must deliver punishment and endure it in order to succeed. But no one, no matter what they say to market a fight, absolutely no one wants their opponent to be hurt badly — or worse.
Last October, Charles Conwell defeated Patrick Day with a 10th-round knockout, and Day unfortunately passed away soon afterward.
Gary Antoine Russell Vs Jose Marrufo
“I never meant for this to happen to you,” Conwell wrote in a heartfelt, emotional open letter after Day’s passing. “If I could take it all back, I would. No one deserves for this to happen to them. … I see you everywhere I go, and all I hear is wonderful things about you. I thought about quitting boxing, but I know that’s not what you would want.”
The tragedy no doubt will be carried with Conwell for the rest of his life. Other fighters who’ve been in similar circumstances have said the same thing. Conwell is doing what he can to move on, to move forward with his career, not forgetting about what happened to Day, but inspired by the type of person Day was.
“Pat will always be with me,” Conwell told Joe Santoliquito of RingTV.com before his return bout. “Winning a world championship is something he would want. So, I’ll fight in his memory. That’s never going to change. I can’t let him down. I fight for two now.”
And so Conwell headlined a small show in Indiana this past Saturday, doing his best to begin a return to normal, but doing so under low-pressure circumstances — not on national television, not in with upper-tier opposition, wise choices just in case Conwell wasn’t going to be wholly himself in the ring.
He faced Ramses Agaton, a 22-11-3 opponent who had lost to several notable prospects. Conwell pounded away at Agaton’s body in many of the highlights posted on his Twitter account, ultimately winning by technical knockout when the fight was stopped after the fifth round.
Conwell is now 12-0 with 9 KOs.
Gary Antuanne Russell Boxer
Two More Wins for Two Other Gary Russells
Gary Russell Jr. comes from a fighting family — and two of his younger brothers, both up-and-coming prospects, appeared on the undercard of his win over Tugstsogt Nyambayar.
Gary Antuanne Russell is a 23-year-old lightweight/junior welterweight prospect who came in with a record of 12-0 with 12 KOs. He was the clear favorite to win against Jose Marrufo, but Marrufo also needed to be treated as better than his own record of 12-9-2 (1 KO) might otherwise indicate. After all, Marrufo had been in the ring with several prospects on their way up. While he’d lost to most of them, he’d also upset one undefeated prospect last year.
Gary Antuanne Russell made sure that didn’t happen, knocking Marrufo out just two minutes and 12 seconds into the opening round. He’s now 13-0 (13 KOs) and is highly regarded by those who’ve been following his development. You can expect him to start getting more prominent positions on undercards as he continues to develop into a contender.
Also in action was Gary Antonio Russell, a 27-year-old bantamweight who moved to 17-0 with 12 KOs. He dropped Jesus Martinez with a body shot in the sixth round, and Martinez was soon disqualified for holding, according to a report on Fightnews.com. Gary Antonio Russell has been a pro for nearly five years and is reaching an age where he should be nearing his prime. He’s due to begin stepping up his level of competition.
Gary Antuanne Russell Boxrec
Undefeated 2016 U.S. Olympian Gary Antuanne Russell will take on Mexico’s José Marrufo in a 10-round super lightweight bout, while unbeaten bantamweight contender Antonio Russell steps in the ring for a 10-round fight highlighting the non-televised undercard Saturday, February 8 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
The card is headlined by the older brother of Gary Antuanne and Antonio, as undefeated WBC Featherweight Champion Gary Russell Jr. will defend his 126-pound crown against unbeaten mandatory challenger Tugstsogt “King Tug” Nyambayar live on SHOWTIME.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and will see former world champions Guillermo Rigondeaux and Liborio Solísbattle for the vacant WBA Bantamweight World Title in the co-main event, plus Jaime Arboleda meeting Jayson Vélez in a 12-round bout WBA Super Featherweight Title eliminator in the opener.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions and Kings Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through www.pplcenter.com/events
Undercard action will also see super welterweight contender Jamontay “The Quiet Assassin” Clark (14-1-1, 7 KOs) in an eight-round showdown against Mexico’s Vladimir Hernández (10-4, 6 KOs) and Springfield, Massachusetts native Anthony Velázquez (8-0, 8 KOs) in a six-round welterweight duel against Reading, Pennsylvania’s Kashon Hutchinson (7-5, 1 KO).
Rounding out the lineup is Puerto Rico’s Jonathan Torres (7-0, 3 KOs) taking on Mexico’s Edson Eduardo Neri (3-4, 2 KOs) for six rounds of bantamweight action, and a six-round battle of unbeaten welterweights as Bowie, Maryland’s Marlon Bolen (3-0, 2 KOs) squares off against Miami’s Osmel Mayorga (2-0, 1 KO).
The 23-year-old Gary Antuanne Russell (12-0, 12 KOs) has yet to allow an opponent to make it the distance against him since turning pro in 2017 following his run representing the U.S. at the 2016 Olympics. Russell added five more stoppage victories in 2019 and will be opposed by the 28-year-old Marrufo (12-9-2, 1 KO), who was born in Sonora, Mexico but fights out of Phoenix, Arizona. Marrufo split a pair of fights against then-unbeaten Willie Shaw in 2019, defeating him in March before dropping a decision in the rematch in August.
Antonio Russell (16-0, 12 KOs) trains alongside his brothers Gary Antuanne and Gary Jr., with their father and head trainer Gary Russell Sr. in their Capitol Heights, Maryland hometown. The 26-year-old is unbeaten since turning pro in 2015 and picked up four wins in 2019, including his first 10-round fight, when he bested Francisco Pedroza in July, and most recently a first-round stoppage of Samuel Gutierrez in November.