Gary Antuanne Russell bound for fall PBC on DAZN card with unification after
Jul 10, 2026 • 2:59 PM ET
Another world champion slated to appear on a future Premier Boxing Champions on DAZN card in the fall is WBA junior welterweight titlist Gary Antuanne Russell.
Washington’s Russell, 19-1 (17 KOs), was due to attend Thursday’s formal news conference announcing the union along with PBC champions Rolly Romero, Sebastian Fundora, Brandon Figueroa and Jose Salas Reyes, but he missed his flight.
Russell’s older brother and trainer, former featherweight champion Gary Russell Jnr, did attend the session and said his brother will return to the ring soon.
Two officials familiar with the situation told BoxingScene that Gary Antuanne Russell will return against a yet-to-be-determined opponent in the fall, perhaps on the October 17 PBC card that precedes the October 24 WBC 140lbs title defense in England between new champion Dalton Smith and former champion Alberto Puello by one week.
One of the officials said the plan is for Russell to meet the Smith-Puello winner in a unification bout in early 2027 if he is victorious in the fall.
Another official said there’s an effort to place both of Gary Antuanne's brothers, Gary Russell Jnr and Gary Antonio Russell on the fall card as well.
Lance Pugmire has been a full-time boxing writer for nearly 20 years, serving now as BoxingScene’s U.S. Senior Writer and assistant producer for ProBoxTV’s “BoxingScene Today.” Pugmire capped a near 20-year career at the Los Angeles Times (sports investigations, NHL/MLB beat work, law enforcement/courts and boxing/UFC) to join The Athletic, and then USA Today. Pugmire’s stint at The Times started with the first Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez fight and the Oscar De La Hoya-Floyd Mayweather Jnr then-record pay-per-view, leading through a slew of ringside assignments at major bouts, including Mayweather-Pacquiao, Mayweather-Canelo and the Canelo-Golovkin trilogy. Lance’s appreciation for boxing is rooted in his admiration and appreciation for the fighters, gladiators who have proven to be the most forthcoming and candid of all the athletes he has interviewed over a career dating to 1990. Lance was honored to be named the 2022 winner of the Boxing Writers Association of America Nat Fleischer Award for career excellence and he’s collected many BWAA writing awards in categories ranging from breaking news to deep-dive long features.
