Gary Russell Jr. Cut, Forced Out of Escandon Defense
Posted by: Jake Donovan on 11/3/2015 .
By Jake Donovan
The November 14 show will go on at The Palms Casino in Las Vegas, but just not for Gary Russell Jr. and possibly for Oscar Escandon as well.
BoxingScene.com waded through several declining sources before finally confirming an earlier rumor that Russell Jr. suffered a cut during training and has been forced to withdraw from the Showtime-televised headliner. Rumors of the injury were first leaked to Boxeo de Colombia , whom was conducting an interview with Escandon when learning of the news.
Industry sources have informed BoxingScene.com that Showtime will still proceed with plans for a November 14 telecast. Network representatives declined comment, as it remains unclear whether the show will become a ShoBox event, or if another bout will be brought in to keep it as a Showtime Championship Boxing doubleheader.
Remaining on the show is a bout that was actually added from another card. Brooklyn's Frank Galarza collides with Jarrett Hurd - who hails from Accokeek, Maryland, just outside of Washington D.C. - in a 10-round clash of unbeaten super welterweight prospects on the cusp of title contention.
The aforementioned fight was originally slated to appear on a November 13 edition of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on Spike TV in Biloxi, Mississippi. Galarza recently signed with adviser Al Haymon earlier this year and was prepared to make his PBC debut before the fight was moved to the Showtime card - a move that has functionally saved the telecast, at this point.
Russell Jr. (26-1, 15KOs) was set to make the first defense of the featherweight title he lifted in a 4th round knockout of Jhonny Gonzalez this past March. His extended ring absence has been due to his team - headed by Haymon, with whom he signed straight out of the 2008 Beijing Olympics - figuring out the best fit for his ring return.
The featherweight titlist was in good spirits leading up to his planned showdown with Escandon. In fact, he was already close to fighting weight two weeks out when he was in Orlando to accompany his younger brother Gary Antonio Russell in a recent win knockout win on the non-televised portion of an October 30 PBC on Bounce TV telecast.
Younger brother Antonio will remain on the November 14 non-televised undercard, but now will no longer share a stage with his older brother. Russell Jr. will be sidelined for an undetermined period of time, thus adding to his run of bad luck dating back to the Olympics. Heavily favored to medal, Russell Jr. was a medical scratch from opening round of competition in the 2008 Games after passing out due to dehydration at the morning weigh-in.
It was an anti-climactic end to a brilliant amateur career, before turning pro early in 2009. The supremely gifted boxer was roundly criticized for being matched soft while on the way up, although in his defense he had long sought bouts with top featherweights who instead moved in a different direction. It didn't help him any during his first title challenge, as he was thoroughly outfought by Vasyl Lomachenko in suffering his lone career loss in their vacant title fight last June.
Two wins have followed, including the aforementioned knockout over Gonzalez.
Escandon (24-2, 16KOs) was due to enter a title fight despite having lost his last contest, dropping a 12-round decision to Moises "Chucky" Flores in April.
The defeat cost the 31-year old boxer from Colombia a secondary super bantamweight title he won in a widely disputed split decision nod over previously unbeaten Tyson Cave last December.
His lone other title fight came in his first career loss, conceding a split decision to Nehomar Cermeno in their Aug. '13 clash, also for a secondary title.
The likelihood of Escandon remaining on the card looks bleak, even less so his chances of being featured on the modified telecast.
Showtime declined to comment or even speculate on whom could be elevated to primetime from an undercard that includes:
• Rising super featherweight prospect Gervonta Davis, who knocked out Cristobal Cruz in three rounds just last Friday in Orlando, which aired live on Bounce TV;
• Former heavyweight titlist Bermane Stiverne, who faces Derrick Rossy in his first fight back since losing his title to Deontay Wilder this past January, in Showtime's highest-rated televised bout of 2015 to date
Efforts to seek comment from Russell Jr. or key members of his camp were unsuccessful as this goes to publish.
Gary Russell Jr. Cut, Forced Out of Escandon Defense
