Gary Russell heading into Mark Magsayo fight with a 'slight injury'

WBC world featherweight champion Gary Russell Jr. admitted that he will not be at a hundred percent when he takes on Mark Magsayo on January 23 at the Borgata Hotel Casino in Atlantic City, USA.

“I never go into any of my fights 100 percent, to be honest with you. I do have a little slight injury but I prefer not to elaborate on it until after the fight,” Russell told DAZN.

Russell previously stated that he is pretty much training by himself since his dad and trainer, had his leg amputated because of complications from diabetes.

Russell, who holds a record of 31-1 with 18 knockouts, last saw action against Tugstsogt Nyambayar last February 2020 where he won by way of unanimous decision.

He has been fighting once a year since 2015 and despite his reputation for being an inactive champion, he is coming off his longest layoff yet against Magsayo.

Though without a trainer, apparently with an injury, and long periods of inactivity, Russell remains upbeat about his chances against the unbeaten Magsayo.

“We’re going to get through this fight, we’re still going to make things shake and then we’ll go ahead and put it out there after it’s all said and done,” said Russell.

—JMB, GMA News