Gary Antuanne Russell: ‘My father would be proud of me’

In the co-main event of the Gervonta Davis-Lamont Roach fight at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Gary Antuanne Russell (18-1, 17 KOs) became a world champion after dominating José “Rayo” Valenzuela (14-3, 9 KOs) over 12 rounds to capture the WBA 140-pound title.

Russell, 28, won all 12 rounds on one card(120-108) and 11 of 12 rounds on two other cards(119-109).

The Capital Heights, Maryland native was very active and aggressive in this fight. According to CompuBox, Russell landed 252 of his 957 thrown punches, while “Rayo” landed 127 of his 443 punches. Russell had Valenzuela in trouble in Round 9  and outlanded him 20-4 in power punches.

Before the fight, Valenzuela did not give Russell much credit, which Russell said did motivate him.

“It motivated me a hell of a lot,” he said. “In this sport, you have to be dominant. You have to have a mentality that is rough, and he brought it out of me. I had the right dance partner in front of me, and I’m glad he gave me the opportunity. I told him to keep that same energy because I’m bringing it in the ring.

“My father would be proud of me,” he concluded. “This is a stepping stone. This is a marathon. In a marathon, you come across the table with some water, but that’s just a pitstop so you can keep going to the next. I’m coming!”

Valenzuela, 25, who was making his first title defense after beating Isaac Cruz last August, made no excuses after the loss.

“It just wasn’t my night tonight,”  Valenzuela said. “His speed got to me a little bit, and I was slow on my feet. No excuses, I have to make adjustments. I have to go back to the drawing board now, come out stronger from this, and bounce back like I know I can.”

This was an excellent performance for Russell, who came off a close decision loss to Alberto Puello in his last outing. Now, he has become the second champion in his family(Gary Russell Jr.), which would have made his father, the late Gary Russell Sr., very proud.