Gary Antuanne Russell (18-1, 17 KOs) says he wants to avenge his loss to WBC light welterweight champion Alberto Puello next after his one-sided 12 round unanimous decision victory over WBA 140-lb champion Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela (14-3, 9 KOs) last Saturday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. New York. The scores were 119-109, 119-109 and 120-108.
Seeking Revenge
It still bothers Russell, losing to Puello (24-0, 10 KOs) by a 12-round split decision last summer on June 15th. He blames his loss by choosing to coast after he’d built a lead up on Puello. He says he didn’t make the same mistake in his victory over Valenzuela last Saturday night. That’s true.
Russell didn’t let up, but he also got caught with mammoth shots that froze him in his tracks many times in the last three rounds. Rayo was loading up full bore, and those shots had knockout intentions. If he fights like that against Puello, they’ll scoop him off the floor with a spatula. Russell fights with anger and that’s not good against a fighter like Puello.
“I’m shooting for Alberto Puello. He can lose all his titles. I still got to fight him. I feel like it’s a pride thing, and I don’t feel like he beat me anyway. But you got to see me again,” said Gary Antuanne Russell at the post-fight press conference after dethroning WBA light welterweight champion Jose ‘Rayo’ Valenzuela last Saturday night in Brooklyn.
Russell needs to think hard before he takes the rematch with Puello because that guy was a lot stronger, and sturdier compared to Rayo Valenuzela. If he thinks he’s improved since his 12-round split decision loss to Puello on June 15th last year, he’s wrong. Russell is the same fighter. The only thing that changed was he was fighting a weaker foe, who was more fragile than he could break with pressure.
Following Orders?
“I’m glad he got my belts because now it’ll be that much more greater. So, when I beat him, I have his silence. I didn’t deviate. Against Puello, I felt I was up enough rounds to kind of freelance to still make it entertaining. This fight, I didn’t deviate. If you pay attention, you listen to my brother [Gary Russell].
“He was like, ‘You need to listen. Do this, do that,’ and I’m following orders,” said Gary Antuanne. “A lot of times with other fighters, you get caught with a clean shot, and it makes you want to rage that much more and you start to deviate from the game plan.
“I got caught with a couple of shots, but I made sure I had a clear conscience and I made sure I was staying focused, listening, following instructions, not deviating,” said Russell.
The way Gary Antuanne was fighting last Saturday was that he was “deviating” at all times, which is why his brother, Gary Russell, frequently told him to stop pushing so hard. He was fighting on emotion and rage against Rayo. Russell wasn’t following orders. It was all anger-based, revenge-type fighting from him. That’s why his face looked like it had been run over by a truck by the end of the fight.
For example, whenever Valenzuela caught him with a shot, he immediately attacked with two or three hard punches.
While Russell got away with using that approach, he took more punishment than he otherwise would have if he had followed his brother’s instructions. He rarely followed his advice. He was ALWAYS attacking Rayo immediately when hit. That’s why he ended up with two puffed up eyes. Antuanne Russell is a hot head.
Last Updated on 03/02/2025
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