Gary Russell goes at Mikey Garcia!
It’s unclear why WBC world featherweight champion “Mr.” Gary Russell Jr (31-1, 18 KO’s) has been so red-eyed and cantankerous lately, but it’s evident he is looking for a fight in major way! And obviously the weight class is of little concern to him. For instance, in late July, the DC native challenged WBO world welterweight champion Terence “Bud” Crawford (36-0, 27 KO’s) to a dust-up at 147.
Few people, including Crawford, took the offer seriously. To make that a reality, Russell would be required to leap up four weight classes to join the welterweight ranks. That is a colossal leap. Regardless of how fantastic it may sound to the rest of the world, Gary Russell is back at it again. This time however, he has called out four-division champion Mikey Garcia (40-1, 30 KO’s).
SHIPS IN THE NIGHT
Like Bud, Garcia is now officially campaigning at 147. At one point, Garcia was a featherweight champion himself, but that was well back in 2013. Since that time, the Californian fighter has gradually moved up the weight divisions.
And even when moving much more incrementally than Russell is looking to do, Garcia was highly criticized for hopping up from lightweight to challenge for the IBF world welterweight title held by Errol “The Truth” Spence Jr (26-0, 21 KO’s). Garcia paid the criticism and warnings no heed and was soundly and thoroughly defeated in a lopsided match-up.
THE LATEST 147 CALL OUT
Paying his current division little mind, Gary Russell has taken the time to call out Garcia for supposedly putting his nose in affairs that had nothing to do with him.
“He was never nobody that was on my radar, I ain’t never paid Mikey no mind. But it wasn’t until he put his hand in my business, he said something about me putting my arm around Leo Santa Cruz father was disrespectful, this that and the third. Come on man, we entertainers at the end of the day. I was promoting the fight, that’s it and that’s all. I wasn’t trying to do anything harmful to his father.”
“But since you want to jump like you are the Mexican savior or something, I’ll move up in weight and beat your ass! We can fight Mikey, it’s not a problem, I will fight you! We can fight, I will jump up three weight classes to meet you and make history doing it. If you want to make the fight happen, make it happen.”
GREASE ON THE FIRE
Going a bit beyond merely calling him out, Russell took it a step further by insinuating that Garcia was already guilty of side-stepping a fight with him.
“Tell Al [Haymon] to let me know something because I heard that Al offered the fight to him as well and he turned it down for whatever reason. So I mean since you want to act like you the savior, what’s up? Matter of fact, if you really feel some type of way, I am a real fighter, I will meet you at 47! I will meet you at the weight division that you in! I’m tired of these dudes turning into suckas!”
It will be interesting to see how Team Garcia responds, if they chose to say anything at all.
By: Bakari Simpson
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