World Weekend Boxing Round-Up: Russell, Brook Win Title Fights

There were two big fights on tap yesterday, with the WBC featherweight and IBF welterweight titles at risk in America and Great Britain, respectively.

Reigning WBC feather king Jhonny Gonzalez was favored going into his defense against quick-handed southpaw Gary Russell Jr last night at The Palms Casino in Las Vegas but the Mexican slugger experienced a surprise outcome.

The fleet-footed Russell gave the champion genuine problems from the first bell as the shorter American managed to punch and get out without providing the much more experienced Gonzalez a hittable target.

As Gonzalez continued to close distance, Russell began to stay inside and exchange with the champion, beating the older, slower Mexican to the punch.

This strategy was potentially very dangerous given the champion’s tremendous left hook but Russell was not to be denied and struck paydirt near the end of the third round when he dropped Gonzalez hard with a flush left, right combination.

The champion arose on very shaky legs before being saved by the bell. Gonzalez was unable to recover by the start of the fourth and fell again after being set upon by the aggressive challenger.

Referee Tony Weeks gave the rubbery-legged Gonzalez a gift in allowing the contest to continue but waved off the action at just 0:37 of the fourth when the champion was again sent to the canvas.

Russell, now 26-1 (15), looked to be a completely different boxer than the one outpointed last June by Vasyl Lomachenko or the vacant WBO title and is firmly in the mix in the talent-rich featherweight division.

Gonzalez, who drops to 57-9 (48), has experienced yet another downturn in his roller-coaster career but could conceivably come back as he’s always only one punch away from victory.

The undercard saw a good fight between light middle contenders as Jermell Charlo, 26-0 (11), outpointed Vanes Martirosyan, 35-2-1 (21), after 10 rounds in a see-saw battle.

Charlo seemed to be the quicker boxer and his higher rate of accuracy proved to be the difference as he defeated the busier Martirosyan, who suffered a bad cut over the right eye in the seventh frame, by scores of 96-94, 96-94 and a rather wide 97-93.

Over in jolly old England, IBF welter champ Kell Brook made short work of mandatory challenger Jo Jo Dan at the Motorpoint Arena in Sheffield.

Making his first title defense and returning to the ring six-months after being stabbed in the leg during an attack, local man Brook was dominant from the first bell.

Southpaw Dan was unable to develop a strategy that worked in the presence of Brook’s greater skills, which allowed the champion to begin hitting the target by the second round, dropping Dan twice.

Dan resorted to mauling and spoiling tactics, making a messy fight in the third but Brook made an adjustment by the fourth round and was hammering the challenger with full-blooded shots as the Canadian based visitor was down twice again.

Dan’s corner kept their man on the stool rather than face more punishment in what would have been the fifth round.

Brook improved to 34-0 (23) and called out former world champion Amir Khan afterward. That pairing would be massive in the north of England, likely packing out the 20,000+ Manchester Arena in a lucrative showdown between the two top welters in the country.

Dan sees a five bout win streak go up in smoke, falling to 34-3 (18), as he loses his first world title opportunity.

The undercard saw Gavin McDonnell, 13-0-2 (4), outpoint Oleksandr Yegorov, 13-1-1 (6), by margins of 118-110, 118-109 and 117-111 to capture the vacant European super bantam crown.

McDonnell is the twin brother of WBA bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell.

Also on the bill in Sheffield, highly touted middleweight Adam Etches, 18-1 (15), was given his first defeat by 40 year old veteran spoiler Sergey Khomitsky, 30-11-3 (30), who KO’d the prospect at 1:35 of the fourth round.