Jhonny Gonzalez vs. Gary Russell Jr.: Winner, Recap and Reaction

It's a good thing Gary Russell Jr. doesn't get paid by the minute. The 26-year-old needed only four rounds to dispatch Jhonny Gonzalez and capture the WBC featherweight title via technical knockout.

Showtime Sports posted highlights of Gonzalez's second and third trips to the canvas, the latter of which led to the official stopping the fight:

Russell dominated the bout right from the opening bell. He devised a great in-fight strategy and deployed it with immediate effect.

That plan included hitting Gonzalez with jabs and shots to the body throughout. Most expected Russell to own the speed advantage, which would help him land his jabs, but few could've foreseen just how much the edge in speed would create a distance between the two fighters.

The constant jabs and body blows threw Gonzalez off of his game and never allowed him to get inside. Whenever Gonzalez did attempt to create any sort of offense, Russell simply sidestepped the shots and avoided any major damage.

The first knockdown of the fight came near the end of the third round, when Russell connected with a vicious left-right combination. Gonzalez returned to his feet before the count of 10, but that was the beginning of the end for him.

Russell smelled blood and didn't waste any time looking for the final knockout. The fight arguably could've been stopped after the second knockdown. Gonzalez looked to be out of it with no chance of making any sort of comeback. The third knockdown was only a matter of time.

ESPN's Todd Grisham felt Russell couldn't have done any more to impress:

Junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia was one of many to praise Russell's effort:

ESPN.com's Dan Rafael, HBO announcer Max Kellerman and Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix also walked away with more respect for Vasyl Lomachenko, who beat Russell last June:

Russell certainly stamped his place as one of the better featherweights in the world with Saturday's performance. It was one of the more dominating wins you could imagine. He didn't get lucky with one or two big punches. He systematically broke Gonzalez down and took advantage of the opening that strategy created in the third round.

Lomachenko is still the king of the mountain, but many boxing fans would likely love to see a rematch between he and Russell at some point down the line. Any potential fight will at least have to wait until after Lomachenko takes on Gamalier Rodriguez on May 2.

In addition, a matchup with Abner Mares also seems a likelier future for Russell as he looks to continue burnishing his in-ring reputation.