| |
|
|
WBC Featherweight World Champion Gary Russell Jr. To
Defend Title Against Mark Magsayo On Jan. 22
WBC Featherweight World Champion Gary Russell Jr. will
defend his world title and display his blistering hand speed
against top contender and WBC mandatory challenger Mark
Magsayo headlining action live on SHOWTIME Saturday, January
22 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from Borgata Hotel
Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, N.J.
The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® tripleheader begins at 9
p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT and features a 12-round rematch between
super lightweight contenders Subriel Matias and Petros
Ananyan in the co-main event, plus hard-hitting
featherweights Tugstsogt Nyambayar and Vic Pasillas
squaring-off in the 10-round telecast opener.
Tickets for the live event, which is promoted by TGB
Promotions, are on sale now and can be purchased through
Ticketmaster.com.
“Gary Russell Jr. has been a force in the featherweight
division for years with his dazzling skills and will again
defend his title against a hungry and powerful up-and-coming
opponent when he duels Mark Magsayo live on SHOWTIME on
Saturday, January 22,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB
Promotions. “Magsayo earned this fight with an impressive
10th-round knockout of Julio Ceja in August and he will be
looking to show that he’s the future of the 126-pound
division, by knocking off the long-reigning featherweight
king in Russell, who has proven worthy of his top spot with
his five successful title defenses. Combined with two
all-action undercard showdowns, this shapes up to be an
electric night of boxing in Atlantic City.”
The Capitol Heights, Md., native Russell (31-1, 18 KOs) has
held his WBC Featherweight Title since 2015 when he stopped
multiple division champion Jhonny Gonzalez to emphatically
capture the belt. The 33-year-old is part of one of boxing’s
premier fighting families as he is trained by his father
Gary Sr., and stays sharp alongside his younger brothers,
unbeaten super lightweight Gary Antuanne and undefeated
bantamweight Antonio. Russell owns victories over current
featherweight titleholder Kiko Martinez via TKO in 2019 and
a unanimous decision over former world champion Joseph Diaz
Jr. in 2018. Most recently, Russell outpointed the
previously unbeaten Tugstsogt Nyambayar on his way to his
fifth title defense in February 2020.
“I’m ready and I’ve been waiting to display my talents and
get back in the ring,” said Russell. “My opponent is one of
Manny Pacquiao’s fighters, who is a legend in the sport and
I’m pretty sure has a good eye for talent. I’m sure he
signed Magsayo for a reason. I know that I’m facing a guy
who’s willing to put it all on the line, with everything to
gain and nothing to lose.”
The Filipino sensation Magsayo (23-0, 16 KOs) fights out of
Pasig City, Metro Manila and most recently scored a
career-best victory in August knocking out former champion
Julio Ceja in the 10th round of a fight he trailed on the
scorecards. The 26-year-old fights in the U.S. for the sixth
time on January 22 as he steps into his first shot at
championship gold. Magsayo is trained by Freddie Roach in
Southern California and owns 12-round decision victories
over Shoto Hayashi and Jose Robles Olvera, in addition to a
sixth-round stoppage of former title challenger Chris
Avalos.
“I am very grateful for this opportunity to fight on
SHOWTIME for the WBC world title,” said Magsayo. “This is
the fight that I want and have been working hard to get for
years. I am going to come to win and to make the most of
this chance. There is a reason Gary is a champion, just like
there is a reason I became the mandatory challenger. This is
going to be a great fight for me to show the world what
Filipinos are made of. I’ve had a long road to get to this
position and I will be fighting in honor of everyone who
helped me get here.”
Matias (17-1, 17 KOs) will look to avenge his only career
loss, which came by narrow decision to Ananyan in 2020, when
he enters the ring on January 22. Fighting out of his native
Fajardo, Puerto Rico, Matias has rebounded from the defeat
to score back-to-back impressive victories on SHOWTIME. He
stopped the previously unbeaten Malik Hawkins in October
2020 in the sixth round and forced the previously unbeaten
Batyrzhan Jukembayev to quit after eight rounds in their May
clash. Matias stopped his first 15 opponents inside of the
distance and has still yet to go to a decision in a victory.
“Everyone who knows me knows how much I wanted this
rematch,” said Matias. “I’m very excited that I’m now
getting that opportunity. That defeat slowed me down, but it
was necessary for me to get to where I ultimately want to
be. If I don’t beat Ananyan in this rematch, then I don’t
deserve to be champion yet.”
The 33-year-old, Ananyan (16-2-2, 7 KOs) made his U.S. debut
in December 2019, losing a narrow majority decision against
Kareem Martin after defeating Arkadi Harutyunyan in April
2019. Born in Abovyan, Armenia and training in Southern
California, Ananyan was unbeaten in his first 15 fights
after turning pro in 2015. Ananyan followed up his
career-best triumph over Matias by defeating Daniel Gonzalez
in October via decision to set up this rematch on January
22.
"I am grateful to my team for getting me this opportunity to
showcase my skills on national television and to prove that
my victory over Subriel Matias last year was no fluke,” said
Ananyan. “Like our first fight, the rematch will be a
barnburner. I am back training in the United States, getting
great sparring in camp and I feel very confident. Come
January 22, I will defeat Matias once again."
Nyambayar (12-2, 9 KOs) won a silver medal representing his
native Mongolia in the 2012 Olympics and now lives in
Southern California, where he’s trained by John Pullman. The
29-year-old ascended the featherweight rankings after his
extensive amateur career with victories over then unbeaten
Harmonito Dela Torre and former interim champion Oscar
Escandon. He earned his first world title shot when he
defeated former champion Claudio Marrero in January 2019,
before dropping his championship bout against Russell on
SHOWTIME. Nyambayar returns to the featherweight division
after challenging top 130-pounder Chris Colbert in a July
contest he lost by decision.
“This is a great opportunity for me on January 22,” said
Nyambayar. “I am grateful and excited to get back into the
ring. This is going to be a great show from top to bottom,
and I’m looking to deliver another great fight for the fans.
This is going to be a battle from the first bell and I am
confident I will come out victorious.”
Pasillas (16-1, 8 KOs), who hails from East Los Angeles,
will return to action looking to bounce back from his first
career defeat at the hands of Ra’eese Aleem in January on
SHOWTIME. Pasillas will move back to featherweight on
January 22, where he most recently scored a dominating
sixth-round knockout over then-unbeaten Ranfis Javier
Encarnacion in September 2020. Pasillas possesses impressive
power and was riding a six-fight knockout streak into the
bout with Aleem.
“I have redemption on my mind and I’m ready to bounce back
with a stellar performance when I step in the ring with
Nyambayar,” said Pasillas. “My best performances have been
at featherweight and I am much stronger at this weight. I’m
grateful to my team for providing me with this opportunity.
Everyone will see the difference in this fight. I’m hungrier
and stronger now than ever before.”
|
|
|
