Co-main event to Casimero vs. Rigondeaux on Showtime. The interim WBA bantamweight title will be on the line. Russell is ranked WBA #2 and Rodríguez #7. If you've forgotten which of the many Russell brothers (all seven of them boxers, all sharing their father Gary's first name but with unique middle names, honorifics, or in the case of half-brother Gary Jones, surname) this is, he's the one that seems to have the best sense of humor about it, given his self-appointed nickname - and is the undefeated 118lb prospect who most recently fought Juan Carlos Payano in December, claiming victory by unanimous technical decision after 7 rounds. This came just nine days after his elder sibling, Gary Boosa Russell, passed away unexpectedly from a heart attack in his twenties. Rodríguez was just 2½ years ago the unbeaten IBF world titlist and considered a serious player, with the potential of cracking p4p lists if only he could upset Naoya "The Monster" Inoue - but of course he couldn't and didn't. What an unfortunate position for anyone to find themselves in - sharing a division with a prime buzzsaw like Inoue. He took nineteen full months to recover from that swift and brutal shellacking - only to drift even further off-course losing a controversial SD to undefeated Filipino puncher Reymart Gaballo (main event of the Russell vs. Payano card), and now another 8-month layoff.
Are we sure there's only one Gary Antonio? I thought he was a division or two higher than Gary Jr, not a couple lower.
The light welter southpaw is Gary Antuanne Russell. Remember, there are seven of them (well, six now living). All with middle names that begin with "A" confusingly. In fact, the most famous one that we all got introduced to first, who is commonly known as "GRJ" and "Mr.", actually isn't even the only brother with the middle name Allen. He is Gary Allen Russell, Jr., and his younger brother, 28, still in the amateurs, is Gary Allen Russell III ...and they have an older brother named Gary Allan Russell III whose pro career ended a decade ago!
In the RBR for Gaballo vs. Rodríguez people commented that it seemed ManRod had changed his style after being kayoed by Inoue. Wonder if he will ever be the same fighter, or if that loss is going to have sent him on a spiral to gatekeeper.
Tough fight for Russell but he seems to have the goods, speed and power just like his other brother Gary.
Gary Antonio is the worst Russell and probably a bit of a fraud. I think Rodriguez will beat the living crap out of him here. I saw Antonio with Payano and Payano was completly dominating but obviously the judges scored almost all rounds for the promoted Russell and so he won the TD which was just a blatant robbery. Rodriguez should really win this if he has anything left at world level. Antonio really has nothing special in his game Rodriguez hasn't seen yet.
