By Ryan Burton
In the Showtime televised co-featured bout heralded featherweight contender Gary Russell Jr. (22-0) pitched a shutout against Vyacheslav Gusev (20-3).
The final tallies read 100-89 on all three cards.
As the fight started Russell took his time and established his jab. Towards the end of the 1st round Russell unloaded a series of power shots to the delight of the crowd.
The difference in hand speed was evident early on as Russell repeatedly landed his jab. Gusev's glove touched the ground after Russell a big right hand midway through the third round. The Russian wasn't too badly hurt and was able to finish the round.
The following rounds all seemed to be a repetition of the previous round. Russell was the superior fighter in all facets of the game. Gusev was never able to adjust and didn't have the power to make Russell respect his punches.
While Russell dominated the fight he still left something to be desired as he failed to close the show with a knockout. With Gusev's lack of punching power it seemed as if Russell could have went for and gotten the knockout whenever he wanted.
To his credit Russell fought a technically sound fight and was never in any danger of losing as much as a single round. Hopefully, he takes a step up in competition in his next fight.
