By Allan Fox: Joseph Diaz Jr. (26-0, 14 KOs) maintains that he’s been overlooked by WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. (28-1, 17 KOs) for their fight tonight, and he plans on making him pay for overlooking him by beating him in front of his own boxing fans at the MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
Gary Russell Jr.
Gary Russell Jr. vs. Joseph Diaz Jr. – Weigh-in Results
By Jeff Aranow: WBC featherweight World champion Gary Russell Jr. (28-1, 17 KOs weighed in at 125.5 pounds on Friday for his title defense against up and comer Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz Jr. (26-0, 14 KOs) for their fight on Saturday night on Showtime Championship Boxing at the MGM National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
Gary Russell Jr. vs. Joseph Diaz Jr. – Preview and analysis
By Dan Ambrose: WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. (28-1, 17 KOs) has his toughest fight ahead of him in years in defending against unbeaten number 1 contender Joseph Diaz Jr. (26-0, 13 KOs0 this Saturday night at the MGM National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, Maryland.
Showtime Boxing delivers three world title fights from three different countries this Sat.
SHOWTIME Boxing will deliver three world championship fights from three countries this Saturday across two different platforms in the latest of an industry-leading offering of world class championship boxing.
Saturday’s world title bouts feature six fighters ranked in the consensus top-10 in their respective divisions. May 19 will be the seventh SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® telecast of 2018. Through Saturday, the network will have delivered 13 world championship fights through the first five months of the year. There are an additional four world title fights scheduled for June, as SHOWTIME continues an unrivaled and unprecedented run of world class boxing.
Gary Russell Jr. Q&A: ‘None of the other world champions wanted to fight me’
By Ian Aldous: On Saturday May 19th, Gary Russell Jr. (28-1) will defend his WBC world featherweight championship against undefeated contender, Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz (26-0), on home turf at the MGM National Harbor in Maryland. It will be part of a split-site Premier Boxing Champions broadcast, live on Showtime, that will also feature WBC world light-heavyweight champion, Adonis Stevenson defending his title against Badou Jack in Canada. Earlier this week, Russell Jr. spoke to me over the phone whilst working in the gym with his brothers (who are both fighting on the May 19th undercard).
Gary Russell Jr. vs. Joseph Diaz on May 19 on Showtime
By Dan Ambrose: WBC World featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. (28-1, 17 KOs) will be making his yearly appearance on May 19th in defending his title against unbeaten #1 WBC contender Joseph Diaz (26-0, 14 KOs) in a fight televised by Showtime Boxing at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada.
Russell Jr stops Escandon; Dirrell defeats Uzcategui – Results
By Jim Dower: WBC World featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. (28-1, 17 KOs) retained his title in defeating challenger Oscar Escandon (25-3, 17 KOs) by a 7th round TKO on Saturday night in a fight televised on Showtime Championship Boxing at the MGM National Harbor Casino in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Russell Jr. hurt the 32-year-old Escandon with big left and right hand to the head that knocked him to the ropes where referee Harvey Dock was forced to stop the fight. The fight was officially stopped at 0:59 of round 7.
Russell-Escandon & Dirrell-Uzcategui weights
By Jim Dower: WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. (27-1, 16 KOs) weighed in at 125 1/2 pounds at Friday’s weigh-in for his title defense against fringe contender Oscar Escandon (25-2, 17 KOs) this Saturday night at the MGM National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Escandon weighed in 125 ¾ pounds. Showtime Championship Boxing will be televising the card.
Gary Russell Jr., Workout Quotes & Photo
Featherweight world champion Gary Russell Jr. hosted a media workout Thursday along with his brothers and rising prospects Gary Antuanne Russell and Gary Antonio Russell before all three brothers enter the ring on Saturday, May 20 live from MGM National Harbor in Maryland.
(Photo credit: Ed Diller/SHOWTIME)
Coverage on SHOWTIME is headlined by Russell Jr. defending his featherweight world title against top challenger Oscar Escandon. The telecast begins at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT features super middleweight contenders Andre Dirrell and Jose Uzcategui battling for the IBF Super Middleweight World Championship plus two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy taking on Kiryl Relikh in a 140-pound world title eliminator. In the telecast opener, from Copper Box Arena in London, Gervonta Davis puts his IBF Jr. Lightweight Title on the line against Liam Walsh.
News: Briedis, Russell Jr-Escandon & Gamboa-Castellanos
By Jim Dower: Marcos Briedis (22-0, 18 KOs) is back in his native Latvia following his impressive 12 round unanimous decision win over former WBO champion Marco Huck (40-4-1, 27 KOs) in winning the WBC cruiserweight title last Saturday night on April 1 in Dortmund, Germany. Briedis beat Huck to win the vacant WBC cruiserweight title. Briedis said he knew he was going to win the fight over the 32-year-old Huck, and the judges agreed with him. They scored it 118-109, 116-111 and 117-110.