Gary Russell Jnr has unfinished business with Vasiliy Lomachenko.
Russell faces Hugo Castaneda in a lightweight bout on July 19 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The bout will air on Prime Video pay-per-view.
Russell, 31-2 (18 KOs), returns to the ring after a three-and-a-half-year hiatus. Russell, now 37, has spent the past few years as a trainer, guiding his brother, Gary Antuanne Russell, to the WBA junior welterweight title.
Yet, one fight still eludes Russell that he would like to avenge: a fight with the recently retired Lomachenko. Lomachenko entered the 2014 bout with a pro record of 1-1 after he lost a vacant WBO featherweight title fight to Orlando Salido in his second pro fight, who came in overweight for the bout. Russell, a 2008 U.S. Olympian, was an up-and-comer who was untested as a professional, leading up to the bout with a record of 24-0. The result was Lomachenko winning a majority decision to claim his first title at featherweight.
“In my personal opinion, I only have one loss on my record,” Russell told BoxingScene. “That was to Lomachenko.”
Those words were not favorable to Mark Magsayo, who was also on the media conference call last week. Magsayo defeated Russell via a majority decision in his last fight to win the WBC featherweight title. The two verbally agreed to fight again in the future, with Russell insisting that he doesn’t look at the Magsayo fight as a loss.
Russell said he wasn’t at his best heading into the Lomachenko fight.
“I was dehydrated within that fight,” Russell said. “I am pissed that he retired.”
Castaneda, 15-2-1 (11 KOs), is coming off a knockout loss to Demler Zamora in April. Castaneda, a 23-year-old from Alamo, Texas, will be Russell's next opponent, but Russell, a seven-year titleholder holding the belt from 2015-2022, is looking to land something meaningful next.
For Russell, it is a bit unsatisfying hearing the news early this year that Lomachenko had retired from professional boxing. Russell suggested an idea to get closure.
“To be honest with you, I would love to set up some sparring,” Russell said. “Even if he doesn’t want to box anymore, so we can get it off our chest.”
