All photos by Tom Casino/Showtime
Featherweight world champion Gary Russell Jr. and top challenger Oscar Escandon square-off in the main event of Showtime Championship Boxing this Saturday, May 20 from MGM National Harbor in Maryland.
Also in action will be Super Middleweight contenders Andre Dirrell and Jose Uzcategui, who battle for the interim IBF Super Middleweight world championship, plus two-division world champion Rances Barthelemy and former title challenger Kiryl Relikh, who meet in a 140-pound title eliminator.
Also in action, off television, will be Russell Jr.’s brothers, 2016 U.S. Olympian Gary Antuanne Russell and unbeaten prospect Gary Antonio Russell.
Stay with Round By Round Boxing as we provide you with up-to-the-minute results from ringside on Saturday night.
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Live Boxing Results
Gary Russell Jr. vs. Oscar Escandon
Andre Dirrell vs. Jose Uzcategui
Dirrell wins by disqualification after Uzcategui knocks out Dirrell after the bell (Round 8)
Rances Barthelemy vs. Kiryl Relikh
Rances Barthelemy survived some shaky moments and a knockdown to defeat Kiryl Relikh via unanimous decision.
Antonio Russell vs. Jovany Fuentes
Gary Antonio Russell wasted no time digging to the body of Jovany Fuentes in hopes of breaking him down.
Russell’s crisp combination of left hook and right uppercut dropped Fuentes in Round 2.
In Round 3, Russell stopped Fuentes after dropping him with a right hook 22 seconds into the stanza.
“We capitalized on everything we worked on in the gym. We knew he favored his right hook so I would walk to it to try to get him to throw it and he wasn’t really doing it. I just knew I needed to touch and fire and that is exactly what I did.
“There was never any extra pressure because we didn’t magnify this fight just because it was at home. We treat every fight like a championship fight.
“The Russells are two for two, but personally I think we are already three for three…that’s what’s expected.
Alexandru Marin vs. German Meraz
Alexandru Marin’s footwork and combination punching were on full display against German Meraz. With the exception of a few bursts of wild combination punching from Meraz, the Romanian dominated the fight. The judges all scored the bout in Marin’s favor, with scores of 60-54.
Gary Antuanne Russell vs. Josh Ross
Gary Antuanne Russell, the youngest of the three Russell’s on the card, stopped Josh Ross by TKO at 2:25 of Round 1.
Russell dropped Ross three times.
“I listened, I followed instructions and it led me to a fast victory. I wish it would have lasted longer. I was looking forward to it being more exciting.
“I wasn’t expecting it to be so short. We trained and sparred for twelve rounds, as if I was a professional before my debut and that’s what I was prepared to do – go the distance. But I executed what my father told me to and I got that quick victory.”
Cobia Breedy vs. Wilfredo Garriga
In the first bout of the evening, local undefeated product Cobia Breedy went toe to toe with Wilfredo Garriga for six rounds.
Breedy toughed out a unanimous-decision victory with scores of 59-55 twice and 58-56.
