By Keith Idec
Now that he has made quick work of Patrick Hyland, Gary Russell Jr. has set his sights on a featherweight title unification fight against Lee Selby.
The WBC featherweight champion wants the fight so badly, he is willing to battle Selby somewhere in Great Britain just to make it happen.
Except for one fight last year, Wales’ Selby has fought exclusively in the United Kingdom since he turned pro in July 2008. The IBF 126-pound champion’s last fight – a 12-round, unanimous-decision victory over Philadelphia’s Eric Hunter – took place April 9 at O2 Arena in London.
Russell (27-1, 16 KOs), a 2008 American Olympian who knocked down Ireland’s Hyland (31-2, 15 KOs) three times on his way to a second-round technical knockout Saturday night, has not fought outside the United States since he turned pro in January 2009. The Capitol Heights, Maryland native’s fight against Hyland was held at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.
“If it came to it, and it wasn’t an issue, I wouldn’t mind going over there and competing,” Russell said of boxing Selby in Great Britain. “I’ll have to solidify [the victory] even more. I’ll have to step on the gas a little more. He’ll be more comfortable [on] his home front, but it’s not gonna make a difference. As long as they’ve got that square there, that’s all that matters. That’s all I need.”
Wherever it occurs, Russell says he “definitely” wants to box Selby next, before pursuing a more appealing unification fight against WBA featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (32-0-1, 18 KOs) later this year. If the Selby bout can’t be secured next, Russell said he would “go directly at Leo Santa Cruz.”
The 27-year-old Russell was impressed by how Selby (23-1, 8 KOs) recovered from the second-round knockdown he suffered against Hunter (21-4, 11 KOs). That marked the first time Selby, 29, was dropped during his pro career.
“I thought Lee Selby did good,” Russell said. “He got reckless in the second round, when he got dropped. But it happens. It’s boxing. You’re gonna take a shot. You’ve gotta display a level of defensive discipline no matter who you’re competing against. Lee Selby is a champion for a particular reason. You can’t just stumble up on that [knockdown]. My hat’s off to him. With that being said, I still don’t feel he possesses the full ability to stop me.”
Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.