Boxing Odds and Ends: Canelo-GGG III and a Gary Russell Sr Tribute

It’s official. Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will bypass a rematch with Dmitry Bivol in favor of a third meeting with Gennadiy “Triple-G” Golovkin. They will renew acquaintances on Saturday, Sept. 17, Mexican Independence Day weekend, at a site to be determined, most likely the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the site of their first two battles, or AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX (Jerry’s World) where Canelo drew 51,420 for his 2016 match with Liam Smith and 73,126 for his 2021 match with Billy Joe Saunders, the latter a North American record for a boxing card at an indoor venue. At stake will be Canelo’s undisputed (four-belt) super middleweight title. A career-long middleweight with one exception — his June 2019 fight with Steve Rolls was contested at the catchweight of 164 pounds — GGG will be making his first start at 168.

Canelo and Triple-G first fought on Sept. 16, 2017 and rematched a year later. The first meeting ended in a draw and Canelo won the second by a majority decision. Both outcomes were controversial.

Since then, Canelo is 7-1, adding world titles at 168 and 175. GGG, who left trainer Abel Sanchez after his second meeting with Canelo, replacing him with Emanuel Steward disciple Johnathan Banks, is 4-0, advancing his record to 42-1-1 (37). He was dominant against two soft opponents and against capable Ryota Murata, but had a very hard test with Sergiy Derevyanchenko. Of greater import from a handicapping standpoint, he turned 40, reaching that milestone on April 8. Canelo Alvarez (57-2-2, 39 KOs) is the younger man by eight years.

Pundits have criticized the powers that be for letting the trilogy fight languish until both men, but especially Golovkin, were theoretically past their prime. However, the first two encounters between these gladiators, both surefire first-ballot Hall of Famers, provided 24 rounds of white-knuckle entertainment and the third installment, a DAZN pay-per-view, is a guaranteed blockbuster.

R.I.P. Gary Russell Sr

Gary Russell Sr, the patriarch of a boxing dynasty, passed away Monday, May 23, at age 63 from complications of diabetes. Russell had been in and out of the hospital these last few months. He had his left foot amputated in December and was confined to a wheelchair.

Russell, who was raised in the crime-ridden Trinidad neighborhood of Washington DC, boxed as an amateur and passed his love of the sport on to his sons, all of whom, in the fashion of George Foreman, he named Gary. Under his tutelage, four of his sons were national amateur champions, two made the U.S. Olympic team, and three – Gary Russell Jr, Gary Antonio Russell, and Gary Antuanne Russell — are currently active professionals with a combined record of 65-2.

A featherweight, Gary Russell Jr, 33, is 31-2 (18). Both of his losses were by majority decision, the first to Vasyl Lomachenko and the second to Mark Magsayo in January of this year in the sixth defense of his WBC belt. He injured his shoulder during the Magsayo fight and was reduced to a one-armed boxer for most of the bout.

Gary Antonio Russell, 29, a bantamweight, last fought in November, out-pointing Alexandro Santiago to advance his record to 19-0 (12).

Gary Antuanne Russell, 25, a super lightweight, left the amateur ranks after losing a controversial decision to his Uzbekistani opponent in the 2016 Rio Olympics. As a pro he’s undefeated, winning all 15 of his fights inside the distance. It is rumored that his next fight will come against former two-division world title-holder Rances Barthelemy.

Gary Russell Sr emphasized the cerebral component of boxing. “My father told me what creates a war is two fighters that didn’t have a Plan B…That’s what makes the difference between a good fighter and a great fighter, the level of intellect,” said Gary Russell Jr. The elder Russell also encouraged his sons to invest their ring earnings in real estate.

The proudest moment for the Russell family came on May 20, 2017, the elder Russell’s 58^th birthday, when all three of his fighting sons appeared on the same card at the new MGM Inner Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, roughly 15 minutes from the family home in Capitol Heights where the brothers first donned the mitts in a basement gym. Gary Russell Jr, Gary Antonio, and Gary Antuanne won their matches by stoppage. It was Gary Antuanne’s pro debut.

As noted by award-winning writer Ronan Keenan, the event was a woolly affair marred by several brawls in the audience, but the Russell brothers brought honor to the family by their deportment, avoiding any hint of arrogance or bombast in their pre-fight and post-fight pronouncements.

Gary Russell Sr was no stranger to heartbreak. A son by a previous marriage, named Devaun, was murdered in 2004. Another of his sons, Gary Boosa Russell, died from cardiac arrest two months before Christmas in 2020.

We here at The Sweet Science send our condolences.

Arne K. Lang’s latest book, titled “George Dixon, Terry McGovern and the Culture of Boxing in America, 1890-1910,” will shortly roll off the press. The book, published by McFarland, can be pre-ordered directly from the publisher (https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/clashof-the-little-giants) or via Amazon.

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