On Saturday night March 1st on the Gervonta “Tank” Davis vs Lamont Roach Jr fight card, boxing fans anticipate the co-main will be the fight of the night, as WBA Super-Lightweight world champion Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela will defend his title against Gary Antuanne Russell.
This matchup will be a battle between two hard hitting southpaws who both intend on making a statement. The champion Rayo Valenzuela plans on having a successful defense, while the challenger Gary Antuanne Russell is looking to win his first world title.
Back in September 2022, Rayo Valenzuela faced Edwin De Los Santos in a match that turned out to be a entertaining fire fight. With a minute left to go in the 2nd round, De Los Santos was landing some heavy shots, and then Valenzuela connected with a counter left hook that sent De Los Santos down to the canvas.
De Los Santos was able to get up, and seconds later he landed a flurry of punches that floored Rayo Valenzuela. Early in the third round, De Los Santos scored another knockdown, and seconds later, he hit Valenzuela with a number of hard shots that forced the referee to step in and put a halt to the contest.
Six months after suffering his first career defeat, Valenzuela would lose his second fight in a row as Chris Colbert was awarded the controversial decision. In the rematch, Valenzuela didn’t leave any room for error as he knocked Colbert out cold in the 6th round.
Valenzuela would move up to 140 to challenge the then WBA champion Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz. In the opening round of the world championship bout, Pitbull Cruz came out with his trademark aggression as he pressed forward and threw hard rights and lefts.
Rayo Valenzuela was poised under pressure, as he patiently fought off the back foot. Valenzuela used Cruz’s aggression against him as he consistently landed sharp counter shots en route to scoring a split-decision victory.
With the win, Jose “Rayo” Valenzuela (14-2, 9 KOs) achieved one of his career goals as he won his first world title. Now he’s set to defend his WBA super-lightweight strap against a man who is focused on winning his first world title at the expense of Valenzuela.
A product of Capitol Heights, Maryland, Gary Antuanne Russell made his pro debut back in May 2017, as he posted a first round TKO victory over Josh Ross. Russell would go on to win his next 16 fights by way of knockout.
With an undefeated record and a perfect knockout percentage, Gary Antuanne Russell faced Alberto Puello for the vacant WBC Interim super-lightweight title. Russell was the aggressor as he pressed forward and landed solid shots, while Puello generated his offense by boxing off the back foot.
The match between Russell and Puello was a entertaining back and forth, action packed bout. In the end, the jab, the movement, and the counter punching of Puello aided him in earning a split-decision victory.
Despite the narrow loss in his last outing, Gary Antuanne Russell (17-1, 17 KOs) will have an opportunity to fight for the WBA strap when he faces Jose Valenzuela on March 1st. People are predicting the Valenzuela vs Russell bout will be the match of the night due to the fact that it’s a 50/50 fight.
The challenger Gary Antuanne Russell is a pressure fighter who has fast hands, good power, he’s very active when he gets inside, and he has exceptional punch placement. The defending champion Jose Valenzuela is a southpaw who knows how to control range, he has a strong punch, a solid straight left hand, and a good check hook.
Saturday night’s co-main is a championship bout featuring two highly skilled competitors who are fighting for a world title, and they’re also fighting for respect. The loser of the Valenzuela vs. Russell bout will have to go back to the proverbial drawing board, while the winner will be in position to pursue unification.
Last Updated on 02/27/2025
Read the full article here