An Education In The Nation’s Capital: What We Learned From Gary Russell Jr. VS Joseph Diaz Jr.
Gary Russell Jr. had to dig deep to pull off a decision win over a very game Joseph Diaz Jr.
Before a solid crowd at the MGM National Harbor outside Washington, DC, Gary Russell Jr. had to dig deep to pull off a decision win over a very game Joseph Diaz Jr. On scores of 115–113, 117–111, and 117–111, Russell won a decision that was much closer than the scores might suggest. It took every bit of his energy and resilience to maintain his title.
From the start, the fight proved to be a serious style contrast, with the scintillating speed of Russell matching up against the rugged (but infrequent) body work of Diaz. After the fight, Diaz said, “He wasn’t hurting me with any shots. He was just very fast. It was keeping me guessing. When he threw combinations, I wasn’t able to set my shots. I was a little bit hesitant.” That trademark Russell speed was on display regularly, as he used his jab and occasional combinations to maintain distance and tempo.
But for as much as Russell’s flashy punching carried rounds, and ultimately the fight, Diaz got some very effective body work in, especially as he warmed up in the fight. Asked about Diaz’s physicality, Russell said, “We train to survive those body shots. We put the work in every day in the ring. We consistently grind and push ourselves to be great. We push ourselves to the limit.”
The two forces combined to produce an excellent boxing match that oozed skill and class, as can be expected from two fighters with Olympic pedigree. It featured some of the best footwork, combination punching, and defensive maneuvers that the sport has to offer.
For all the talent Russell has shown, his career has left some question marks as to how he compares with the elites in the sport. A wide decision loss to Vasyl Lomachenko gave many the impression that he was but another Al Haymon hype job who couldn’t handle the rigors of world class fighting. A knockout win over Jhonny Gonzalez redeemed him in the eyes of many, but relatively light competition in subsequent defenses made this fight an important measuring stick. Luckily for him, he proved that in addition to fast hands he has real craft and, most importantly, some serious heart to go with it.
Russell has now positioned himself to face the winner of the June 9th bout between Leo Santa Cruz and Abner Mares, a rematch of the rugged 2015 match in which Santa Cruz took a majority decision victory. In Showtime’s “mini tournament” of featherweights, a division in which they’ve invested serious time and money, a Russell vs. Santa Cruz/Mares fight would effectively close out the U.S. regional bracket, with a possible Frampton vs. Warrington fight closing out the U.K. regional. If all goes to plan, that sets up a final bout for featherweight supremacy likely in early 2019.
That is, if Gary Russell decides to fight again in 2018. While he answered many questions inside the ring against Diaz, one that remains unanswered for now is whether the fastest hands in the sport will ply their trade more than once this year, something Russell hasn’t done since 2014. Boxing fans around the world (and Showtime executives) should cross their fingers…but don’t go holding your breath just yet.
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