On Saturday, February 8, fellow champions Gary Russell Jr. and Tugstsogt Nyambayar go against each other for the WBC and IBO featherweight titles on Showtime. Russell Jr. is 30-1 in his career with 18 knockouts, while Nyambayar is 11-0 with 9 knockouts. The fight between Russell Jr. and Nyambayar will take place at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania and will be featured on Showtime with main card coverage beginning at 9 p.m. Eastern. Let’s look at the bout and boxing picks.
Boxing Odds
Gary Russell Jr.: Check Back Later
Tugstsogt Nyambayar: Check Back Later
Over/Under Rounds: Check Back Later
Gary Russell Jr. (30-1, 18 knockouts)
In his last seven fights, Russell Jr. has six wins and one loss. He defeated Christopher Martin Peña by unanimous decision, Jhonny González by TKO in the fourth round, Patrick Hyland by KO in the second round, Óscar Escandón by TKO in the seventh round, Joseph Diaz by unanimous decision, and Kiko Martínez by TKO in the fifth round; while losing to Vasyl Lomachenko by majority decision. Russell Jr. gets a knockout win 58.06% of the time.
Russell Jr. said this to espn.com about his upcoming bout, “I'm forced to defend my title against another mandatory challenger and I'm going to show on Feb. 8 why none of the other champions want to face me. I'm the longest current reigning WBC champion but no one has stepped up to the challenge I present. I'm going to take care of business against a strong opponent and display all my skills like I always do.”
Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions said this to themix.net about the fight. Gary Russell Jr. has proven himself to be at the very elite level of this sport and one of the best fighters in the featherweight division, his speed, power and overall skillset has made him a must-watch every time he steps into that ring. He’s going to get all he can handle from an undefeated fighter in ‘King Tug’ Nyambayar, who has the pedigree and power to make this a memorable fight. You won’t want to blink during this high octane showdown February 8 on SHOWTIME from PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.”
Tugstsogt Nyambayar (11-0, 9 knockouts)
In his last seven fights, Nyambayar has seven wins and no losses. He defeated Juan Ruiz by corner retirement in the fourth round, Rafael Vazquez by TKO in the first round, German Meraz by corner retirement in the fifth round, Jhon Gemino by TKO in the 10th round, Harmonito Dela Torre by unanimous decision, Óscar Escandón by TKO in the third round, and Claudio Marrero by unanimous decision. Nyambayar gets a knockout win 81.82% of the time.
Nyambayar said this to espn.com about his upcoming bout, “This is going to be an exciting fight for everyone watching on February 8. Gary Russell Jr. is a great champion, who is very talented, but he has the WBC belt and that's what I want. I'm training hard to win this fight and I will be ready for anything that Russell brings to the ring.”
Boxing Picks
Nyambayar hasn’t fought in over a year and his overall experience level is far less than Russell Jr. so, this should be a win for Russell Jr., but I am expecting the price to be too high for a serious wager. This has all the looks of a bout where the two fighters look to land big shots, so a knockout is likely. I will simply play the rounds to go under the total.
Boxing Pick: Gary Russell Jr. by knockout in the second round and the rounds to go under the total
With the boxing odds at BookMaker Sportsbook, you can bet on boxing all year, from smaller cards to pay-per-view events. Access live betting lines from your mobile device at BookMaker Sportsbook. Russell Jr. vs. Nyambayar will take place at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Saturday, February 8th and will be featured on Showtime.