Russell Becomes Champion, Hands Valenzuela a Tough Defeat

On March 1 in New York, USA, as part of the undercard for Gervonta Davis vs. Lamont Roach, 25-year-old WBA super lightweight champion José Valenzuela (14-3, 9 KOs) took on 28-year-old fellow American Gary Russell (18-1, 17 KOs).

Russell put on a dominant performance, securing a unanimous decision victory and taking the WBA title.

This was only the second time in Russell’s career that he went the distance—his previous full-length bout resulted in a decision loss to Alberto Puello. For Valenzuela, this was his first title defense, but it didn’t go as planned.

Detailed statistics of strikes can be found at this link.