Matthew Macklin vs. Lamar Russ

Matthew Macklin 159 lbs beat Lamar Russ 159 lbs by UD in round 10 of 10

• Date: 2013-12-07
• Location: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA
• Referee: Eddie Cotton
• Judge: Lynne Carter 96-94
• Judge: Shafeeq Rashada 97-93
• Judge: Alan Rubenstein 98-92

• Macklin, frequently scoring with his left hand inside, kept his foe on the defensive and won his first 10 round decision in over four years by outpointing 14-0 Lamar Russ, a DiBella Entertainment fighter who was a late replacement for injured fighter Willie Nelson. Macklin seen as prepping for a future eliminator bout against Andy Lee. Russ still gave a good accounting of himself, given the short notice, as the opportunity bout appeared worth the chance as Macklin had lost three of four coming in, all losses in world title bouts. Russ, a college graduate, was not quite on Macklin's level at this point in his career, but still showed good future potential. One judge scored it for Macklin 96-94, far from a clear mandate for a fighter with Macklin's professional resume of ability and experience coming in. First career ten rounder and first loss for Russ.