WBC featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. will make his sixth title defense in late January when he faces first-time challenger Mark Magsayo. Russell (31-1 with 18 knockouts) hasn’t entered the ring in nearly two years, so there are some questions about whether or not he will be ready for this fight. Magsayo (23-0 with 16 knockouts) is a potentially dangerous challenger that has had three bouts since the last time we saw Russell.
On Saturday, January 22, 2022, Gary Russell Jr. will look to hold on to his WBC featherweight belt against Mark Magsayo at Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This card will get started at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.
When: Saturday, January 22, 2022
Where: Borgata Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey
Why: WBC featherweight belt
Gary Russell Jr. vs Mark Magsayo Betting Odds
Gary Russell Jr. -567
Mark Magsayo +388
It’s no surprise to see Gary Russell Jr. as the favorite per the boxing betting odds. Russell is the reigning WBC featherweight champion, and his only loss was by majority decision to highly regarded Vasiliy Lomachenko. If you are unfamiliar with betting on boxing, a $567 bet on Russell would return $100 at this price. Meanwhile, a $100 wager on Magsayo would return a $388 profit if he were to pull off the upset and win the title.
As the fight nears, there will be decision betting too. You will be able to bet on whether the fight is decided by KO, TKO, or decision, and you can bet on which boxer will win the fight in that fashion as well.
Gary Russell Jr. vs Mark Magsayo Preview
We haven’t seen Gary Russell Jr. enter the ring in almost two years. He has been one of the least active champions in quite some time, so there could be some rust. Russell is one of the best featherweights in the world when he is at his best though.
Russell was considered one of the favorites for the United States at the 2008 Summer Olympics, but he was unable to take part in the competition after being found unconscious while trying to make weight. It was a disappointing end to his amateur career, so he turned pro the next year and showed that he was able to compete at the next level.
He ran his record to 24-0 before facing Vasiliy Lomachenko for the WBO featherweight title in June 2014. Lomachenko was a two-time Olympic gold medalist and is considered one of the greatest amateur boxers of all-time, but Russell was able to take him to the scorecards and lost by majority decision. Although it was a defeat, it showed off Russell’s talent and set him up for another title shot nine months later.
Russell won the WBC featherweight belt with a fourth round TKO of Jhonny Gonzalez in March 2015. He knocked out Patrick Hyland in the second round in his first title defense, but he has only fought once a year since that point and skipped 2021 entirely. In his most recent bout, Russell convincingly beat former IBO featherweight champion Tugstsogt Nyambayar by unanimous decision.
Mark Magsayo has shown a lot of power in his professional career. Magsayo has knocked out 16 opponents since turning pro in May 2013, and he crossed the pond to take on tougher competition early on in order to get more seasoning. He has won the WBO International featherweight belt twice, and he has defended the title three times.
He hasn’t faced nearly the same quality of boxers as Russell though. Magsayo only won a split decision against Rigoberto Hermosillo in October 2020, and his win over a past his prime Julio Ceja in his last bout wasn’t that impressive considering Ceja hasn’t won a fight since November 2017.
Magsayo does have the height and reach advantage here. He is 5’6 with a 68-inch reach, while Russell is 5’5 with a 64-inch reach.
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