Gary Russell's title reign 'deceptive', hounded by problems going into Magsayo fight, analyst says

WBC world featherweight titleholder Gary Russell Jr. has been a champion for almost seven years, but that long title reign has a catch, according to veteran boxing analyst Atty. Ed Tolentino.

Russell, who holds a record 31-1 with 18 knockouts, has only fought once a year since he won the crown against Mexican slugger Jhonny Gonzalez in March 2015.

“He is now the longest-reigning champion among the current batch of champions, but that is deceptive because he's only fought once a year since 2015,” said Tolentino.

“He only shows up for his mandatory defenses or else he will be stripped of the crown. Now it is mandatory season again, he is coming back to face Mark Magsayo.”

In a recently concluded virtual press conference, the 32-year-old from Maryland, USA, says the reason for his absence is the lack of fighters willing to step up against him.

According to Tolentino, however, Russell Jr. has been hounded by internal problems which ultimately resulted in his inactivity.

“He is claiming that fighters are avoiding him, but the real reason is his hands are prone to injuries,” Tolentino revealed.

“Second, and this is very important, he had a long layoff because of so many internal problems with his family. It's like he forgot that he is a champion who needs to fight.”

Russell is slated to stake his world title against Magsayo on January 23 (PH time) at Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, USA.

In what could be the most important fight of his career, Russell is going into the contest without a trainer, which could be taken advantage of by Magsayo.

“His father's leg was amputated, and he was his trainer from the very start,” Tolentino quipped.

“In fact, he said that he is training himself for this fight. These are the intangibles that Magsayo can capitalize.”

—JMB, GMA News