By Mike Coppinger

When BoxingScene.com spoke to Gary Russell Jr. last month, he hadn't yet watched all of Vasyl Lomachenko's loss to Orlando Salido. What he did see, though, didn't leave him impressed.

"From the little bit that I did see, it showed me that he still fights like an amateur," Russell said. "He’s not comfortable with changes in style, he’s not comfortable when a guy gets rough. He doesn’t know how to make the adjustments on the fly. He doesn’t understand that. He doesn’t think that we’re going to take advantage of that in the fight."

Does Russell feel Lomachenko has learned from his only professional bout?

"You never really know. Hopefully he does, every fight that you have is a learning experience. Hopefully he goes back, he pays attention to the fight, he figures out the mistakes that he made and makes the necessary adjustments."

Russell has yet to step up as a pro, but he's gained seasoning from his 24 fights in the pro ranks. He believes Saturday's WBO title bout with Lomachenko at the StubHub Center in Carson, California will lead to a lengthy reign over the featherweight division.

"I think I’m too much for anyone in the division," he said. "I think experience is definitely going to play a factor in the fight. I think it’ll definitely play a factor in the fight."

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