Gary Russell Jr. Looking to Put Division on Notice in 1st Title Defense

Gary Russell Jr. is set to make the first defense of his WBC Featherweight Championship Saturday night at Foxwoods in Connecticut against Patrick Hyland, and the newly minted champ is looking to make a statement that sets the rest of his division on notice.

He’s coming.

For all the belts.

“I’m planning on taking every world title that someone has in my division,” the Capitol Heights, Maryland, native told Bleacher Report about his future plans.

That’s direct, and he spoke with the air of confidence that surrounds a young fighter who has finally come into his own.

Russell, long considered one of the sport’s upper-echelon prospects, made good on his potential a little more than a year ago with a four-round blitz of veteran multi-time world champion Jhonny Gonzalez in Las Vegas.

That title-winning effort went a long way toward removing (or at least reducing) some of the questions that plagued the 27-year-old following a decision loss to Vasyl Lomachenko in his first challenge for a world title the previous year.

Lomachenko controlled the fight against a lethargic Russell and won by majority decision (most felt it should have been unanimous) on a night that still irks him to this day.

Not because he lost, but because he wasn’t at his physical best.

“Before my career is over that’s definitely an ass that I’m gonna beat,” Russell said of Lomachenko. “The speed, power and explosiveness was not there. There was clearly something visibly wrong.

“If you compete against an individual who's not physically up to par or on your level, then you’re supposed to capitalize on that. And that’s what he [Lomachenko] did. “

Russell blamed his performance that night on a faulty scale (which he says was reading five pounds light) used during training camp.

His lethargy and lack of urgency were the result of needing to drop five pounds the night before the weigh-in to make the 126-pound limit and fight for the title.

That’s a tall—and dangerous—task for any fighter.

“I lost the five pounds the night before in the sauna. That’s physically draining to the body. That was the only thing that made a difference in the fight.”

If Lomachenko was Russell’s low point, the high point of his career (so far, at least) came against Gonzalez, who was streaking at the time and defending a title he had won in a stunning upset over Abner Mares.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Russell is known more for his blazing speed than devastating punching power, but he felled the rugged Mexican three times before referee Tony Weeks ended the onslaught.

It was the type of win that puts a fighter on the map.

But boxing is a tough business, and you quickly come to understand that the line from point A to point B is almost never straight and always packs a few detours.

Russell was due to make the first defense of his featherweight title in the main event of a Showtime-televised card last November against Colombian challenger Oscar Escandon, a prohibitive underdog.

A freak accident in the waning days of training camp—Russell suffered a cut in sparring—forced the cancellation of the bout. His layoff has extended to more than a year, which is something that can put the brakes on a fighter’s momentum.

“It’s been a little frustrating, but it comes with the territory. I try not to focus on things I don’t have any power over,” Russell said. “You take care of that in the gym. You try to get in as many rounds as possible to offset that.”

Gym rounds are a sure solution for a fighter who is trying to remain in shape when facing an extended hiatus between bouts. But they can’t make up for what it’s like to face live fire from an opponent who is coming to win.

Hyland sports a gaudy 31-1 record as a professional, but he’s probably still best known for an association he made earlier in his career than anything he’s accomplished inside the ring.

The 32-year-old Irish contender once upon a time fought under the banner of Team Snooki Boxing, a promotional outfit named for the reality star of Jersey Shore fame/infamy and owned by her father.

He’s making his second start in a fight with a world championship on the line and will attempt to make Russell a one-and-done champ.

Russell doesn’t seem the slightest bit fazed by the prospect of walking through the ropes to defend his title for the first time in his professional career. He's keeping a grounded attitude with his eyes firmly on the prize.

“I don’t view it as this being my first title defense or anything of the sort. I don’t magnify anything,” Russell said. “I don’t pay it any mind. At the end of the day the objective is the same. Go out there and win.”

Kevin McRae is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. You can follow him on Twitter @McRaeWrites. All quotes were obtained firsthand.