Photo edit by John Garita/Round By Round Boxing
This Saturday night, June 21, 2014, live at the StubHub center in Carson, California, highly decorated amateurs Vasyl Lomachenko and Gary Russell Jr. square off for the vacant WBO Featherweight title in what promises to be a fascinating bout between two of boxing’s brightest young talents.
As an excellent amateur, Gary Russell Jr. has replicated his success in the paid ranks. The Maryland native is undefeated in his 24 fight record as a pro, knocking out 14 within the distance.
The 2011 prospect of the year–as selected by RingTV.com–has been matched carefully by his adviser Al Haymon and promoter Golden Boy Promotions up to this point, accepting the immense difference between the amateur and pro game. Now Russell Jr. believes he is ready for a big test, a real test that Lomachenko could provide.
The 26-year-old Lomachenko has been hailed as one of the best amateur boxers ever. An exceptional amateur record of 396-1 meant the man they call “Hi-Tech” was turning pro to a wealth of anticipation on his shoulders.
After a flawless pro debut against the brave, but outclassed Jose Ramirez, the slick Lomachenko met the tough Orlando “Siri” Salido on March 1, 2014 for this very title, with many believing Lomachenko was ordained for moments like this.
However it turned out to be a baptism of fire for the skillful Ukrainian, who found his inexperience as a professional a telling factor in being outfoxed by the cast iron Salido, who out pointed the potential future world champion Lomachenko.
Despite his first pro loss, Lomachenko will be hoping for better luck the second time round as he aims to get his pro career back on track after the disappointing start. But if Russell Jr. can unmask the Ukrainian, then Lomachenko and his promoter Top Rank could find themselves in a very sticky predicament come Sunday morning.
Read on for an in-depth preview of Gary Russell Jr. vs. Vasyl Lomachenko.
