WBC Featherweight world champion says he is willing to unify against IBF champion Josh Warrington and claims the Leeds man has been avoiding a clash with him.
Russell Jr has made five defences of his WBC crown since stopping Jhonny Gonzalez in 2015, making him the longest reigning champion in the division.
The 32-year-old says Warrington is a “bar fighter” and insists he would pick apart the 29-year-old.
“If Josh Warrington wants to fight me, I’ll fight him,” Russell Jr told Pro Boxing Fans.
“He’s a brawler, he’s a bar fighter at best. He’s got good conditioning, he got a lot of fights, but he don’t have any knockouts.
“He don’t have any punching ability, he don’t have any punching power, he just wants to come forward and throw a lot of punches.
“He’d get his a** beat doing that with me.”
Russell Jr has only fought five times since 2015, his last victory a unanimous decision over mandatory challenger Tugstsogt Nyambayar in January.
However, the Maryland native insists he has been swerved by his fellow world champions, notably by Warrington as well as by former WBO titlist Shakur Stevenson, who has since vacated his title to move up to Super-Featherweight.
“None of them wanted to fight me,” Russell Jr added.
“Josh Warrington, he never mentioned my name until he was obligated to compete against someone else.
“He wasn’t mentioning my name before he fought Kid Galahad, he wasn’t mentioning my name before these other guys, but they only mention my name when they have prior obligations to get in the ring and compete against someone else.
“So, it makes it look as though to the fans or people outside looking in that this guy really wants to try to fight but he’s not.
“He’s trying to bamboozle the fans and trick the people and make them think that he really wants to fight, knowing that he’s obligated to fight someone else.
“Shakur Stevenson had the title in my weight division, you never hearing Shakur Stevenson ever mention that he wanted to fight Mr Gary Russell Jr, he wanted to fight Josh Warrington.”
Russell Jr says he is desperate for a rematch with Vasiliy Lomachenko to avenge his sole defeat in an unsuccessful WBO title tilt in 2014, whilst revealing that the only fight he is willing to remain at Featherweight for is against Warrington.
“I definitely want a rematch with Vasiliy Lomachenko,” Russell Jr continued.
“He got a gift, I had to lose 5lbs before the fight, because of my negligence for not knowing what the scale was that we were using.
“If we fight 100 times, 99 I’m gonna beat him. He’s not a better fighter, stylistically he don’t bring what I bring in the ring.
“I definitely want to put myself in the weight divisions with these guys I want to compete against.
“I want to compete against a Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, I would love to compete against Devin Haney, I would love to compete against Lomachenko.
“That’ll probably be the only reason why I’d stay at 126lbs [a fight with Warrington].”