Tag: Tugstsogt Nyambayar

Gary Russell Jr.: I’ll move up to 135 if I don’t get Leo Santa Cruz

Gary Russell Jr. wants to fight Leo Santa Cruz in a 126-pound title-unification bout. If it doesn’t happen, he’ll move up in weight.

Gary Russell Jr. is clear on who he wants to fight next, Leo Santa Cruz in a 126-poud title-unification fight.

If it doesn’t happen? Bye bye 126 pounds. Russell said he’ll vacate his featherweight title and move up in weight to pursue two other fighters on his radar — lightweights Gervonta Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko, the latter of whom outpointed him in 2014.

Yes, that means he’d skip over 130 pounds.

Russell (30-1, 18 KOs) faces Tugstsogt Nyambayar (11-0, 9 KOs) on Feb. 8 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Showtime.

“I definitely want Leo Santa Cruz,” Russell told The PBC Podcast. “The only reason why I’ve been still competing at 126 is because I want a title unification with Santa Cruz. If we can’t get Leo Santa Cruz within the time frame which we want, I plan on moving up in weight. I don’t really have any thought of stopping at 130; I want to go straight to 135.

“There are a couple of guys that I want. I want Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, I definitely want a rematch with Vasyl Lomachenko. And I feel like the only way for me to make those fights happen is to put myself in the same weight division as these guys.”

There’s no chance he’d make a pit stop at 130?

“If Tevin farmer beats Jo Jo Diaz … I’m one of those guys, I answer any challenge,” Russell said. “I’m a real fighter, I’m a real warrior. You know, if someone says they want to fight me and they’re acting like they want that, I’m going to give it them.

“They have to be careful what they ask for. So if Tevin Farmer were to beat Jo Jo Diaz and we don’t get the Leo Santa Cruz fight, I wouldn’t mind stopping at 130 just to shut him up for mentioning my name.”

Gary Russell Jr. to face Olympic medalist Tugstsogt Nyambayar on Feb. 8

Gary Russell Jr. will face Tugstsogt Nyambayar in the fifth defense of his featherweight title on Feb. 8 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Gary Russell Jr. will face Tugstsogt Nyambayar in the fifth defense of his featherweight title on Feb. 8 in Allentown, Pennsylvania on Showtime, it was announced Monday.

Russell (30-1, 18 KOs) has fought only four times since he won a 126-pound belt in a stoppage of Jhonny Gonzalez in March 2015.

In an apparent bid to become more active, Russell faces an intriguing, yet unknown featherweight from Mongolia. Nyambayar, who now lives and trains in Carson, California,won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics.

Yet Nyambayar has fought only 11 times as a pro since then. The 27-year-old, nicknamed “King Tug,’’ has won them all, scoring nine stoppages in an impressive run that made him the mandatory challenger for Russell’s belt.

“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,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “His speed, power and overall skill set 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.’’

The card at Allentown’s PPL Center also will include former champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist Guillermo Rigondeaux (19-1, 13 KOs) against Venezuelan Liborio Solis (30-5-1, 14 KOs) for a junior featherweight title.