Fighter of the Week (August 7-13): Gary Antuanne Russell
On a fairly busy weekend of prize-fighting, that featured snoozefest heavyweight cards, thrilling one-punch knockouts, and a Fight of the Year Candidate. One performance, in particular, stood head and shoulders above every other performance. A win so dominant and thorough it should have put the entire 140-pound division including all its world champions on notice. It will likely take you longer to read this piece than it took Gary Antuanne Russell to dispose of and take the "0" from the loss column of Keny Cruz, move his record to 17-0 (17), and take home our Fighter of the Week Award. Gary Allen Russell Jr.'s little brother has established himself as an absolute force at 140 pounds.
The power, skills, speed, and pedigree of Gary Antuanne Russell can't be denied, by any fair-thinking person. His performance against Kent Cruz a fight that was supposed to be a real test, a fight against a hungry young prospect that had never tasted defeat, ended up being over before it even got started as Russell showed us exactly who he was and what he is capable of. Russell of Capitol Heights, Maryland, entered the ring in nearby MGM Grand Oxon Hill and calmly dismantled Cruz. At just past the midway mark of the opening stanza, Russell scored with a barrage of clean shots that put Cruz on the canvas. The durable undefeated fighter made it to his feet, but the hometown fighter got back to work. The Maryland native stayed aggressive and unleashed a violent body shot that put Cruz on the canvas for a second and final time. Cruz couldn’t beat Referee Bill Clancy’s 10- count, and Russell effortlessly moved his record to 17-0 (17).
It's certainly unclear why Gary Antuanne Russell, brother of the legendary former Featherweight champion, forms the great fighting family plus he has KO'd every single opponent he has faced and doesn't get the hype that he deserves. He has accomplished more or less, exactly what fan favorite and beloved Texan Vergil Ortiz has. Russell is steamrolling everything in sight and should be in line for a world title shot immediately! He has weighed in far under 140 for nearly all of his fights and usually weighs in around 138 for most fights. It stands to reason he can make the lightweight limit of 135. If he can make it PBC needs to get him down there so he can pick up a belt when Haney vacates all four of them! Then after he picks up a strap, fights Tank Davis in what guarantees to be fireworks. If 135 isn't possible, then 140 pounds has plenty of options as well, including a head-on collision with IBF Junior welterweight kingpin Subriel Matias. A fight that Russell seems to simply have far, far too much skill for the Puerto Rican KO artist. A world title shot should be in short order for Russell.
