im more excited about the matias ananyan rematch...i feel this is the fight he had to take in order to answer a few lingering questions i have about matias on his way to being champ at 140
1/22 PBC on SHO: Gary Russell Jr vs Mark Magsayo (WBC Featherweight Title)
- Thread starter patscorpio
- Start date
im more excited about the matias ananyan rematch...i feel this is the fight he had to take in order to answer a few lingering questions i have about matias on his way to being champ at 140
Tugstsogt Nyambayar vs. Sakaria Lukas Now Set as Russell-Magsayo Opener
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BY RANDOM HITS
Published Tue Jan 18, 2022, 02:18 PM EST
Hard-hitting featherweight contender Tugstsogt “King Tug” Nyambayar will now take on once-beaten contender Sakaria Lukas in the 10-round telecast opener live on SHOWTIME this Saturday, January 22 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecast begins at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and is headlined by WBC Featherweight World Champion Gary Russell Jr. defending his title against top contender and WBC mandatory challenger Mark Magsayo. Super lightweight contenders Subriel Matías and Petros Ananyan meet for a rematch in the 12-round co-main event.
Vic Pasillas was originally scheduled to face Nyambayar, but was forced to withdraw after a positive COVID-19 test.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com.
Nyambayar (12-2, 9 KOs) won a silver medal representing his native Mongolia in the 2012 Olympics and now lives in Southern California, where he’s trained by John Pullman. The 29-year-old ascended the featherweight rankings after his extensive amateur career with victories over then unbeaten Harmonito Dela Torre and former interim champion Oscar Escandon. He earned his first world title shot by defeating former champion Claudio Marrero in January 2019, before dropping his championship bout against Russell on SHOWTIME. Nyambayar returns to the featherweight division after challenging top 130-pounder Chris Colbert in a July contest he lost by decision.
Lukas (25-1, 17 KOs) steps into the ring looking for his third straight win to put himself in position to vie for a world title. A native of Omuthitugwalwani, Namibia, his U.S. debut came in December 2020 as he dropped a 10-round decision against Mexican contender Isaac Avelar. Lukas, who has fought professionally since 2011, bounced back from the defeat by knocking out Mario Macias Orozco in February 2021 before earning a decision victory over Marco Antonio Chable in March 2021.
The non-televised undercard will include unbeaten super welterweight Evan Holyfield (8-0, 6 KOs), son of legendary heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield, taking on Virginia’s Chris Rollins (5-3-1, 4 KOs) in a six-round fight, plus Philadelphia’s Rasheen Brown (11-0, 7 KOs) in a six-round featherweight duel against fellow unbeaten Katsuma Akitsugi (7-0, 1 KO).
Rounding out the lineup is Puerto Rico’s Abimael Ortiz (9-1-1, 5 KOs) in an eight-round super bantamweight bout, unbeaten middleweight LeShawn Rodríquez (12-0, 9 KOs) battling Atlanta’s Sixto Suazo (9-2-1, 7 KOs) for eight-rounds of action and the pro debut of Washington, D.C. native Max Garland in a four-round welterweight contest.
a move up to 130? i can dig it
lukas 127.5; king tug 128
ananyan 141; matias 140.5
gary russ 126.5 ; magsayo 125.5 - .5 over
gotdammit
..he has 1 hour to lose the weight
ananyan 141; matias 140.5
gary russ 126.5 ; magsayo 125.5 - .5 over
gotdammit
..he has 1 hour to lose the weight
THE MACHINE
night owl
Just need one year where Gary fights 3 times 
Why Gary Russell Jr., the longest-reigning boxing champion, fights only once a year
Gary Russell Jr., above, defends his WBC featherweight world title against Mark Magsayo on Saturday. Amanda Westcott/Showtime
7:51 AM ET
Gary Russell Jr. is boxing's longest-reigning champion. As of Saturday, he'll have held his title for 2,493 days. While he's undoubtedly one of the most talented fighters in the world, that status is partially due to his low level of activity.
Gary Russell Jr. fights just once a year.
The 33-year-old has owned his 126-pound title since 2015, but on Saturday night he will make just his sixth title defense. The bout against Mark Magsayo (9 p.m. ET, Showtime), an undefeated featherweight who is promoted by Manny Pacquiao and trained by Freddie Roach, will end a 23-month layoff.
Since winning gold, Russell competed only once annually until 2021. He didn't fight at all last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last time Russell (31-1, 18 KOs) competed more than twice in one year was in 2014, when he lost to Vasiliy Lomachenko in a fight for a vacant title sandwiched between two victories in routine bouts.
Just why does Russell fight so sporadically? Russell says it's no mystery.
"The reason I'm competing once a year is we're not getting a dance partner," said Russell, who was ESPN's No. 1 featherweight before he was removed from the rankings last April for inactivity. "I'm forced to fight the next best guy rather than a champion. I definitely want to be more active. I know I'm not content with competing once a year."
It's not like Russell isn't staying ready. "There are no concerns about ring rust. I'm always in the gym," he said on Thursday. "I haven't taken two months off from training since I was about 4 or 5."
When it comes to just when and whom Russell fights, the guesswork and uncertainty that most boxers face in this fragmented sport is stripped away. He fights who the WBC tells him to.
So when does he fight? His past five title defenses came against mandatory challengers -- boxers the WBC ranked as its No. 1 contender. The WBC requires each champion to make one mandatory defense a year, unless the fighter's promoter secures an exception. Champions will typically face such opponents but also make an extra defense or two against a foe chosen by the boxer, promoter and manager.
Gary Russell Jr., right, defeated Patrick Hyland in 2016, his only non-mandatory bout since winning the title in 2015. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
But since winning the title, Russell has participated in only one non-mandatory fight. In 2016, he made his first defense against journeyman Patrick Hyland and won by second-round TKO.
Still, there are benefits to Russell's inactivity.
"I'm pretty sure it definitely does preserve me," Russell said. "We don't do a lot of sparring. I honestly don't spar unless I have a fight coming up. A lot of these guys, they'd be beat up before the fight even happens."
Russell's first mandatory title defense was a seventh-round TKO of fringe contender Oscar Escandon in May 2017. His next fight, a May 2018 decision over Joseph Diaz Jr., remains the best win of Russell's career. Diaz went on to win a title at 130 pounds and is currently ranked in ESPN's top 10 at 135 pounds. Russell's most recent victory, in February 2020, also came against solid opposition, 2012 Olympic silver medalist Tugstsogt Nyambayar.
"I have a lot of respect for [Russell]. He's always fighting his mandatories, and that's someone the WBC deems as the best guy in the ratings," said Tom Brown, who promotes all of Al Haymon's PBC events.
Now comes Magsayo, another mandatory challenger gunning for Russell's title. The 26-year-old earned the title shot with a brutal KO of Julio Ceja in an August title eliminator.
"It speaks volumes on the pedigree of talent I've been competing against versus a lot of these [other champions]. They're picking and choosing who they're gonna fight," Russell said. "They're fighting guys who are over the hill. They're fighting guys who just have a name, but they know good and well that they don't portray a threat to them at all."
Unlike many of the mandatory challengers Russell has faced over the past few years, Magsayo (23-0) is a legit contender. And yet as of Thursday, he's a +310 underdog, according to Caesars Sportsbook.
Gary Russell Jr., above, defends his WBC featherweight world title against Mark Magsayo on Saturday. Amanda Westcott/Showtime
7:51 AM ET
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Mike CoppingerESPN
Gary Russell Jr. is boxing's longest-reigning champion. As of Saturday, he'll have held his title for 2,493 days. While he's undoubtedly one of the most talented fighters in the world, that status is partially due to his low level of activity.
Gary Russell Jr. fights just once a year.
The 33-year-old has owned his 126-pound title since 2015, but on Saturday night he will make just his sixth title defense. The bout against Mark Magsayo (9 p.m. ET, Showtime), an undefeated featherweight who is promoted by Manny Pacquiao and trained by Freddie Roach, will end a 23-month layoff.
Since winning gold, Russell competed only once annually until 2021. He didn't fight at all last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last time Russell (31-1, 18 KOs) competed more than twice in one year was in 2014, when he lost to Vasiliy Lomachenko in a fight for a vacant title sandwiched between two victories in routine bouts.
Just why does Russell fight so sporadically? Russell says it's no mystery.
"The reason I'm competing once a year is we're not getting a dance partner," said Russell, who was ESPN's No. 1 featherweight before he was removed from the rankings last April for inactivity. "I'm forced to fight the next best guy rather than a champion. I definitely want to be more active. I know I'm not content with competing once a year."
It's not like Russell isn't staying ready. "There are no concerns about ring rust. I'm always in the gym," he said on Thursday. "I haven't taken two months off from training since I was about 4 or 5."
When it comes to just when and whom Russell fights, the guesswork and uncertainty that most boxers face in this fragmented sport is stripped away. He fights who the WBC tells him to.
So when does he fight? His past five title defenses came against mandatory challengers -- boxers the WBC ranked as its No. 1 contender. The WBC requires each champion to make one mandatory defense a year, unless the fighter's promoter secures an exception. Champions will typically face such opponents but also make an extra defense or two against a foe chosen by the boxer, promoter and manager.
Gary Russell Jr., right, defeated Patrick Hyland in 2016, his only non-mandatory bout since winning the title in 2015. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
But since winning the title, Russell has participated in only one non-mandatory fight. In 2016, he made his first defense against journeyman Patrick Hyland and won by second-round TKO.
Still, there are benefits to Russell's inactivity.
"I'm pretty sure it definitely does preserve me," Russell said. "We don't do a lot of sparring. I honestly don't spar unless I have a fight coming up. A lot of these guys, they'd be beat up before the fight even happens."
Russell's first mandatory title defense was a seventh-round TKO of fringe contender Oscar Escandon in May 2017. His next fight, a May 2018 decision over Joseph Diaz Jr., remains the best win of Russell's career. Diaz went on to win a title at 130 pounds and is currently ranked in ESPN's top 10 at 135 pounds. Russell's most recent victory, in February 2020, also came against solid opposition, 2012 Olympic silver medalist Tugstsogt Nyambayar.
"I have a lot of respect for [Russell]. He's always fighting his mandatories, and that's someone the WBC deems as the best guy in the ratings," said Tom Brown, who promotes all of Al Haymon's PBC events.
Now comes Magsayo, another mandatory challenger gunning for Russell's title. The 26-year-old earned the title shot with a brutal KO of Julio Ceja in an August title eliminator.
"It speaks volumes on the pedigree of talent I've been competing against versus a lot of these [other champions]. They're picking and choosing who they're gonna fight," Russell said. "They're fighting guys who are over the hill. They're fighting guys who just have a name, but they know good and well that they don't portray a threat to them at all."
Unlike many of the mandatory challengers Russell has faced over the past few years, Magsayo (23-0) is a legit contender. And yet as of Thursday, he's a +310 underdog, according to Caesars Sportsbook.