Gary Russell Jr. Explains Why He Fights Once A Year

[Ruthless-RKO]

Gary Russell Calls Out Gervonta Davis; Explains Why He Fights Once A Year

Mr. Gary Allen Russell Jr. has unofficaily been billed as “Mr. Once A Year” for the better half of the last decade.

The 32-year-old WBC featherweight champion has fought only one time every year since 2015.

It’s definitely not by design, if you ask the DC fighter.

"I’ve been calling out everybody who’s supposed to be somebody. I think the reason you only see me competing once a year is because a lot of these fighters, a lot of these promoters and managers don’t feel as though it’s in their best interest to put their fighter, or these fighters' best interest to get in the ring with me,” Russell told “The Last Stand with Brian Custer.”

"I’m not at all satisfied fighting once a year, I would love to be able to compete and display my skills and my abilities to my fans, to the people who generally love the work and the effort that I put in. I just play the cards that are dealt with."

Russell was able to get in the ring before the pandemic stalled the sport earlier this year when he bested the previously unbeaten Tugstsogt Nyambayar in February via unanimous decision.

The last time Russell fought multiple times in a year was 2014, when he finished with a 2-1 record, the loss coming to Vasiliy Lomachenko via majority decision.

Russell has campaigned exclusively at featherweight, but he said he’s willing to move up in weight to find the right fights and opponents.

"I’m willing to fluctuate from 126 to 130 to 135, and if anybody got anything slick to say out their mouth in any other weight class I’m willing to meet them halfway too,” said Russell.

Earlier this year, Russell even challenged welterweight champion and pound for pound star Terence Crawford, but a more feasible fight could be a potential clash with the Baltimore-bred Gervonta Davis in a high-stakes howdown.

"You’ll fight a [Yuriorkis] Gamboa, but you won’t fight a Mr. Gary Russel Jr. You sound like you are making excuses,” he said. “We would sell out anywhere, DC, Maryland, Virginia. You pick the arena and everybody and their mother and grandmother will be there to witness me spank that ass. You know it and Floyd [Mayweather Jr.] knows it!"

[Ruthless-RKO]

Finally an explanation.

At least by not fighting nobodies he has more of a solid resume? I don’t know.

Some of us thought just MAYBE he could fight twice this year. Due to him fighting in Feb.

[Cholo_cws]

Rarely fights but expects people to be interested in him. Can't take him seriously.

[emallini]

Good luck to him

[pizzakid13]

He's delusional. Every other boxer fights at least twice a year but he can't because apparently they all avoid him.

[Luckybattles]

I’ve seen better fighters get fight 3x more regularly. His career will end up mimicking Joan Guzman’s.

[Onetimeonly]

Finally an explanation.

At least by not fighting nobodies he has more of a solid resume? I don’t know.

Some of us thought just MAYBE he could fight twice this year. Due to him fighting in Feb.

He does fight nobodies. Jojo was a good win, jhonny. That's it.

[1okstcsb]

Gervonta Davis said he wants to fight on the Mayweather Jr. VS Paul farce, Maybe Gary Russell Jr. should volunteer to be Tanks opponent, so fans can get to see a real fight along with the sideshow.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Gary Russell: Hearn Offered Me $1 Million To Fight Warrington; Beneath My Standards

Gary Russell Jr. deemed Eddie Hearn’s offer for a featherweight title unification fight against Josh Warrington unacceptable.

Russell revealed during the newest episode of “The PBC Podcast” that Warrington’s promoter made him a $1 million offer for that bout through social media. Russell turned it down because he believes that fight is worth more money, particularly if Russell would’ve had to travel to the unbeaten Brit’s home country to fight him.

“Eddie Hearn reached out to me through Instagram,” Russell told co-hosts Kenneth Bouhairie and Michael Rosenthal in an episode that debuted Wednesday on premierboxingchampions.com. “He offered me a million dollars to fight Josh Warrington for a unification match. And I felt like it was a little, it was beneath my standards.”

“To be honest, at [126], it’s nobody in my weight division right now that I would say that I’m actually targeting, that I want,” Russell said. “All the guys that I want is at maybe ’30 or ’35. But I think right now I’m at the dilemma whereas though I’m just coming up on the time frame because I am a title-holder, you know, I have the dilemma whereas though I still have to defend my title within a certain time frame. So, I’ll compete against the next best guy than the champion.

“Whoever the next best guy is, we’ll compete against him, you know, and God willing, we get through that. Immediately after, you know, we wanna start working on some things, so we can get us another fight in this year. You know, because once my mandatory is completely satisfied, then I have the ability to go and take another fight. The question is, who is gonna fight me? Who would be willing to take the fight?”

[gilgamesh]

Finally an explanation.

At least by not fighting nobodies he has more of a solid resume? I don’t know.

Some of us thought just MAYBE he could fight twice this year. Due to him fighting in Feb.

When has he not fought nobodies except for the time he lost to Lomachenko?

[gilgamesh]

Finally an explanation.

At least by not fighting nobodies he has more of a solid resume? I don’t know.

Some of us thought just MAYBE he could fight twice this year. Due to him fighting in Feb.

He does fight nobodies. Jojo was a good win, jhonny. That's it.

And Jhonny was past his best fighting weight, and his prime.

[Bard of Boxrec]

A million dollars, beneath him?

Ok Gary ...how is that? No one gives a crap about you.

Who else is offering him a million exactly?

This guy’s attitude stinks, I hope he never gets a fight again

[Evander]

Gary Russell is a good boxer, strong minded individual, I like him.

Same time if you're fighting once a year, we're talking about you once a year.

[Stevieaber]

Reading between the lines he over estimates his market value.

[Evander]

I don't know his name still carries weight as I see it.
For how long though.

[Evander]

Russell Jr v Lomachenko 2