LAS VEGAS – Gary Antuanne Russell knows exactly who’s in his division, but given his development and exposure on Saturday’s DAZN pay-per-view card, he feels assured enough to declare himself the best.
Russell, 18-1 (17KOs), defends his WBA 140lbs belt versus Japan’s top-ranked contender Andy Hiraoka, 24-0 (19KOs), at T-Mobile Arena on a card that includes fellow junior-welterweight champion Richardson Hitchins defending his belt versus Mexico’s Oscar Duarte.
Russell, 29, watched unbeaten four-division champion Shakur Stevenson join the crowd with his unanimous-decision triumph over ex-two-division titlist Teofimo Lopez on January 31, but Russell believes his own boxing acumen and rare power sets him apart.
“Definitely – hands down, and I still haven’t shown everybody my full potential,” Russell told BoxingScene. “I use what I need to use to become victorious against the opponents I have in front of me. Until then, y’all have just got to stay tuned.”
Russell, who lost to eventual junior-welterweight gold medalist Fazliddin Gaibnazarov in the 2016 Summer Games, was a US Olympic teammate and sparring partner with silver-medalist and fellow east coast fighter Stevenson. Their mutual ascent makes a future pairing quite sensible.
“That’d be the fight that would [carry] me to the position I [deserve],” Russell said of Stevenson. “He’s ranked three pound-for-pound now and has come up to 140. Made his mark, and looked good [against Lopez]. I know if I can beat him, I’d shake up the world and a lot of things would be going on.”
Asked how he’d win, Russell said: “I don’t kiss and tell, but it will be a great fight.”
First comes Hiraoka, who was delayed in leaving Japan for the US due to visa issues that were ultimately solved.
Hiraoka has stood as mandatory WBA contender since his knockout of Ismael Barroso in Tokyo, Japan in September 2024. A southpaw, Hiraoka, 28, has won 10 straight bouts by knockout.
“Shoutout to the embassy – because if it wasn’t for Japan green-lighting him, I wouldn’t be having an opponent right now,” Russell said after plans to stage his fight versus Hiraoka in 2025 were shuttered by Gervonta Davis’ legal problems.
As for the showcase of Saturday’s event, Russell said the boost of his prominence “depends on what kind of fight my opponent is bringing to the ring”.
“I’ve got to make sure that I’m very flexible and be a diamond,” he continued. “I was always told that a diamond shines from all sides. So whatever he’s bringing to the game plan, I’ve got to have an answer for it.”
Russell said expecting a diminished Hiraoka because of the travel difficulties would make him “a fool”.
“I don’t overlook any opponents, even though I have a lot of people I want to fight in the future,” he said. “I’ve got to put that fantasy on hold right now. The guy in front of me is undefeated, young, and I hear he’s a brick layer. But he hasn’t fought anybody like me. So he better be prepared.”
