Gary Russell Jr. is open to exploring any and all options for his future after he revealed that he is a free agent.
The WBC featherweight champion spoke with Boxing Talk after a successful title defense against Kiko Martinez on May 18 and spoke about what is next. After Russell defeated Martinez by fifth-round stoppage, Russell stated his intent on facing WBA featherweight champion Leo Santa Cruz, but if not, he would consider moving up in weight.
Russell surprised many by saying that he would likely go for the WBC super featherweight title being held by Miguel Berchelt instead of going for Gervonta Davis' WBA super featherweight title. In the chat with Boxing Talk, Russell revealed that he is no longer with PBC, whose cards Davis regularly fights at, and that he is a free agent. With Russell being a free agent, he could theoretically go to Top Rank Boxing, where Berchelt fights with alongside promoter Zanfer Promotions.
"We'll just have to deal with it at that point. That's something I want to do and I'm a complete free agent. I'm not with PBC. We have a great business relationship and we're working with PBC, but I'm not locked in to any manager, promoter or any specific network. I'm 100% a free agent," Russell said.
While Russell may be a free agent, it doesn't mean that he wants to leave PBC and would be more than happy to return with the right offer. However, should another company offer something better, Russell said he would not hesitate to take it.
"It's got to make sense. At the end of the day we do this to provide a sense of stability and protection and foundation for our loved ones. If someone is willing to throw some money in my direction or create a deal that's more than PBC or Showtime is offering then that's more money for me to provide for my family and my loved ones, so it would only make sense for me to go with the better deal, and I have the ability and fluctuation to do so because I'm a complete free agent. I would love to stay with the team and I'm the only fighter who has made his pro debut on Showtime, no other fighter has done that... Whichever one is going to give me the best option to do so, it would only be right to go in that direction. I'm making the decisions for what's best for me and my family," Russell said.
Russell has fought on many events televised on Showtime and his most recent win against Martinez was televised on the May 18 Showtime Championship Boxing card from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
