Gary Antuanne Russell Seeks Win Over Rances Barthelemy

Gary Antuanne Russell faces Rances Barthelemy in a key bout on July 30.

The fight will be part of the undercard for the Danny Garcia vs. Jose Benavidez title fight live on Showtime.

Russell, the brother of Gary Russell Jr., will be looking to remain unbeaten when he tangles with the former two-division world champion.

“I’m up against a fighting style that I believe is similar to Viktor Postol’s. Postol is a little more defensive, but they’re both long and rangy opponents,” Russell said. “It’s of course a plus that I was able to be the first person to stop Postol. But at our gym and with our family, we don’t magnify fights like these. We pay attention to our credentials, and don’t really worry about what our opponents bring. The way we train, we’re not going to run into styles that we’re not accustomed to.

“With this sport, you have to have diversity in your style. Because you never really know what kind of opponent you’re going to be facing. They might change up their fighting style based on yours. We just strive for excellence and execution.”

Russell is coming off a finish of Vitor Postol that earned him the WBA Continental Americas super lightweight title. He is a perfect 15-0 in his career with all 15 fights ending early.